Another beautiful weekend comes to a close, and for me it was a perfect one filled with fantastic weather, glorious nature exploring, and time spent with new friends. What better way to end a great weekend than to sit down and enjoy a good meal?

I can’t believe Christmas is less than a week away! To get in the spirit I made a Christmas-colored dinner of Pesto Chicken Pasta and tomatoes with fresh mozzarella.

This is quite possibly the easiest supper ever, made divine by pesto. I was lucky enough to have the real stuff, Genovese pesto straight from Italy, thanks to my wonderful friend Becca. But I think the dish would still taste pretty good with other pesto.

Pesto Chicken Pasta (serves 4)

What you need:
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Pinenuts
1/2 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese (plus extra for garnish)
1/2 cup Pesto
2 Chicken breasts – sliced into 1 inch cubes
1 Tomato – sliced into 1 inch cubes
1/2 Sweet Yellow Onion – thinly sliced
1/2 package Linguine Pasta
Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder to taste

What to do:
1) Prepare pasta according to package directions, meanwhile…
2) Heat large pan. Add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to hot pan with a pinch of garlic powder.
3) Add onions and balsamic vinegar to pan and allow to sauté for a couple minutes.
4) Add chicken and salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Sauté until chicken is cooked.
5) Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes, pasta, pesto, parmesan, and remaining olive oil.
6) Scoop portions of pasta onto serving plates and garnish with fresh shredded Parmesan and pinenuts. Enjoy!

The last step is obviously optional and I wouldn’t go out of my way to add pinenuts except that I just happened to have some in my cabinet. I’m pretty positive that this would taste just as good eaten straight out of the pan.

I served this pasta with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, just because living in Florida means I can still snag fresh delicious produce in winter.

But I think a simple salad would be an equally good pairing.

Wishing you all good food and a great week ahead!