balsamic-tomato sauce with pasta & veggies
i don't know about you, but i.m.o. it's hard to beat the good ol' pasta with tomato sauce (especially as a student because nothing reminds you of home more than your mom's marinara)... but tonight, i think i topped it. i had never had a balsamic-tomato sauce until mercer moved to ashland in january and we explored main street for hours.... we found the most amazing foodie/kitchen-supply store (for all you utahns reading this, think spoons'n'spice on crack) which obviously i had to stop in so that i could stare at each and every item for a solid 60 seconds--it's a safe bet that we were in there until they closed. long story short, mercer and i saw the balsamic-tomato sauce at the same time and in the 10 seconds it took for us to look at the label and then look at one another we had decided what we were having for dinner that night. it was yummy and an exciting new taste that neither of us had really ever thought to combine in a pasta sauce, but it was nothing to write home about... however, tonight when i re-created my own (and WAY better) version of this the first thing i did was send my mom a picture (lol, how long until she gets annoyed of my food pics?). but like, look at this beauty. how could i NOT send it her way??
s h o p p i n g t i m e !
just a forewarning: this recipe is all about tasting and adjusting the flavor of the sauce to your personal liking... some of us like a stronger balsamic flavor than others!
i n g r e d i e n t s & a p p r o x . m e a s u r e m e n t s :
- 1/3-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (+/- to taste, i would start with less and add more if you want a more pronounced balsamic flavor)
- 8 oz. tomato sauce
- 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar (+/- to taste)
- finely chopped fresh basil (if you bought/want)
- 1 tbsp. dried basil/oregano/italian seasoning (i used half basil & half oregano, but you don't technically need either one)
- OPTIONAL: 2 tbsp. butter (i added it to mine because i didn't have enough tomato sauce and needed to cut the vinegar, but you should be fine without... just taste, taste, taste & decide!)
o t h e r i n g r e d i e n t s :
-pasta
-zucchini (sliced & quartered)
-cherry tomatoes (halved)
-chicken (cut before cooking into bite size pieces, **tip: using kitchen scissors is a lot faster than using a knife**)
-salt & pepper
-olive oil
t o p r e p a r e :
1. begin by putting a large pot of salted water to boil (for pasta) on a back burner and add a couple drops of olive oil to the water as well (this well help the pasta to not stick together)
2. in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat add the balsamic vinegar, tomato sauce, and ground pepper and bring to boil (use a lid so whoever is on cleanup duty has an easier job).
3. in a nonstick saute pan add a generous amount of olive oil over medium heat and allow it to heat up before you add the chicken (the oil will sizzle when you add the chicken and if it doesn't, let the pan heat up more before adding the rest). season your chicken with salt and pepper in the pan!! cook the chicken for 4-6 minutes (depending on size) and then put chicken into a bowl on the side
5. add your pasta to the boiling water (if your water isn't boiling yet get a new stove ;))
4. by this point your sauce should be boiling so reduce the heat to medium-low and whisk in brown sugar, basil, oregano and let it cook for a couple minutes and then T A S T E . if you don't get enough balsamic, add a little more 1 tbsp. at a time. if you think the balsamic is too strong either add more tomato sauce or 1-2 tbsp. of butter. if you want a little more of a spice kick, add another 1/2 tsp. of black pepper. if you don't taste your herbs enough for your liking, add another teaspoon or two! like i said, this part is all up to you. once you get the perfect mix, let the sauce simmer for another 5-10 minutes. also, yes. your sauce will look like a chocolate mole (mine is right below, so you don't get stressed that it looks wrong or weird)
5. in the pan you cooked your chicken in, add more olive oil and let the pan get hot again. add the zucchini and cook for about 6 minutes (until brown, tender & beautiful) before adding the tomatoes. make sure to season your veggies with salt & pepper. let the tomatoes cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the chicken back into the pan.
6. your pasta should be done by now, so drain it and then put it back into the large pot. add your veggies and chicken to the party and then mix it all up (feel free to drizzle a little more olive oil when you mix it together)!
7. taste your sauce to make sure that it is pure perfection (you should want to drink it by the glass at this point... or maybe that's just me because i'm a WEIRDO)
8. add the pasta to plates, spoon some sauce on top (a little will go a long way, it's a much more pronounced flavor than marina so don't add too much!), and finish with some parmesan.
bon appetit!
xoxo,
lex♡
i didn't know i was going to be creating such a lovely dinner (sorry i sound cocky like josiah to all my bachelor winter games fans out there) until about 2 hours before i started cooking when i was at work. when it's slow at work i will usually start to make lists in my head about what i want for dinner and then as i walk to my car i will call mercer and ask which one of the million options sounds the best (he usually picks one of the first ones before i can continue listing them off because the poor boy knows i would keep listing options for ten minutes if i could). anywho, today i was thinking about the zucchini in the fridge and the fact that i hadn't eaten pasta for almost two weeks, but i didn't want boring old tomato sauce and then i remembered the balsamic-tomato sauce and thought why not recreate it!! i stopped at safeway on the way home and picked up some balsamic, chicken breasts & parmesan (but if you don't have zucchini, cherry tomatoes and tomato sauce at home you are also going to want to pick these up when you go to the store). and for all you OCD-types out there like me, below is a more organized version of the list
s h o p p i n g t i m e !
- balsamic vinegar (you can get this for anywhere from $4 at walmart to $1200 in italy of course, but for anyone reading my blog i'd probably recommend staying away from the $1200... it's aged for a long ass time and is a little too uppity for my liking)
- plain tomato sauce (8 oz.)
- pasta (i would usually use penne, but had casarecce in my pantry already)
- 2 zucchinis
- cherry tomatoes
- chicken breasts (~1 lb., and i like to get the pre-sliced ones because why not save time when it's the same price)
- *optional: fresh basil if you're feeling extra excited (i stole some of my roommate's)
- *optional: shredded/grated parmesan (i prefer shredded because i think it adds a fun texture)
just a forewarning: this recipe is all about tasting and adjusting the flavor of the sauce to your personal liking... some of us like a stronger balsamic flavor than others!
i n g r e d i e n t s & a p p r o x . m e a s u r e m e n t s :
- 1/3-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (+/- to taste, i would start with less and add more if you want a more pronounced balsamic flavor)
- 8 oz. tomato sauce
- 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar (+/- to taste)
- finely chopped fresh basil (if you bought/want)
- 1 tbsp. dried basil/oregano/italian seasoning (i used half basil & half oregano, but you don't technically need either one)
- OPTIONAL: 2 tbsp. butter (i added it to mine because i didn't have enough tomato sauce and needed to cut the vinegar, but you should be fine without... just taste, taste, taste & decide!)
o t h e r i n g r e d i e n t s :
-pasta
-zucchini (sliced & quartered)
-cherry tomatoes (halved)
-chicken (cut before cooking into bite size pieces, **tip: using kitchen scissors is a lot faster than using a knife**)
-salt & pepper
-olive oil
t o p r e p a r e :
1. begin by putting a large pot of salted water to boil (for pasta) on a back burner and add a couple drops of olive oil to the water as well (this well help the pasta to not stick together)
2. in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat add the balsamic vinegar, tomato sauce, and ground pepper and bring to boil (use a lid so whoever is on cleanup duty has an easier job).
3. in a nonstick saute pan add a generous amount of olive oil over medium heat and allow it to heat up before you add the chicken (the oil will sizzle when you add the chicken and if it doesn't, let the pan heat up more before adding the rest). season your chicken with salt and pepper in the pan!! cook the chicken for 4-6 minutes (depending on size) and then put chicken into a bowl on the side
5. add your pasta to the boiling water (if your water isn't boiling yet get a new stove ;))
4. by this point your sauce should be boiling so reduce the heat to medium-low and whisk in brown sugar, basil, oregano and let it cook for a couple minutes and then T A S T E . if you don't get enough balsamic, add a little more 1 tbsp. at a time. if you think the balsamic is too strong either add more tomato sauce or 1-2 tbsp. of butter. if you want a little more of a spice kick, add another 1/2 tsp. of black pepper. if you don't taste your herbs enough for your liking, add another teaspoon or two! like i said, this part is all up to you. once you get the perfect mix, let the sauce simmer for another 5-10 minutes. also, yes. your sauce will look like a chocolate mole (mine is right below, so you don't get stressed that it looks wrong or weird)
6. your pasta should be done by now, so drain it and then put it back into the large pot. add your veggies and chicken to the party and then mix it all up (feel free to drizzle a little more olive oil when you mix it together)!
8. add the pasta to plates, spoon some sauce on top (a little will go a long way, it's a much more pronounced flavor than marina so don't add too much!), and finish with some parmesan.
bon appetit!
xoxo,
lex♡
i am on this this weekend Lexi with a GF dad twist. zoodles will be used, can't wait. I'll send you photos. I missed LePaps, so happy to see a posting!
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