For many families, mine included, the weeks between Spring break and summertime are the toughest of the school year. Churning out meals on a schedule feels harder in May than it did in September. It’s the time of year when you might find yourself agreeing with your middle schooler that leftover cake is indeed the breakfast of champions, when the convenience foods you passed in the market in the fall start to creep into the shopping cart, and when prepping one more dinner feels like one dinner too many.
Enter hope on the horizon for those of us steeped in suppertime burnout: a terrific new book from one of my favorite writers, Sally Kuzemchak. Her cookbook, Dinnertime Survival Guide, is just the little boost of inspiration needed to put some groove back into your meal-making routine.
Dinnertime Dilemma #1 I have Zero Time
Dinnertime Dilemma #3 I Can’t Afford Healthy Food
Dinnertime Dilemma #5 I’m Not a Short-Order Cook
Dinnertime Dilemma #7 I’m on a Diet, They’re Not
and my personal favorite…
Dinnertime Dilemma #10 Frankly, I Don’t Feel Like It
Sally is down-to-earth, funny, and smart. Her book is packed with practical strategies, tricks, and inspiration. I especially love the “Top 5” series featured in every chapter, notably, “Top 5 Tips for Raising Veggie Lovers” and “Top 5 Issues Never to Stress Over.” The fact that Sally is a registered dietitian means the recipes have a mind to health. Standouts so far have been shrimp tacos with apple slaw, crispy salmon cakes with a lemony sauce, a dessert of apple wedges dipped in chocolate and granola (genius), and this Pesto Pasta with Chicken.
The pasta earned universal and resounding thumbs up from the entire crew in our house. I’ve made it twice now, the first time following the recipe to the letter (delish) and the second, swapping 1/2 cup of Italian parsley and 1/2 cup fresh mint for 1 cup of the basil (also delish). It’s the perfect sort of dish to double, using the leftovers for school lunches since it’s tasty hot or cold. If your market carries only raw pistachios instead of roasted ones, you can toast them for a few minutes in a pan or oven. Keep in mind that the portion is on the smaller side, so if you have teenagers or especially hearty eaters, be sure to have a generous salad and/or vegetable on the side, or increase the recipe volume.
Any which way you make this, or anything else in Sally’s book, you will not just be surviving dinner, you will be celebrating it.
Basil and Pistachio Pesto Pasta with Chicken
Ingredients
- 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Cooking spray
- 8 ounces uncooked fusilli or rotini
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cups basil leaves
- 1/4 cup shelled dry-roasted pistachios
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ounce grated fresh Parmesan cheese (about ¼ cup)
Instructions
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Preheat grill to medium-high heat or turn oven on broil.
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Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray or on a baking sheet set under the broiler. Grill/broil 5 minutes on each side or until done. Let stand 5 minutes; slice chicken into ½-inch-thick strips.
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Cook pasta in generously salted water according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.
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Drop garlic through food chute with food processor on; process until minced. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, basil, pistachios, lemon juice, and oil; process until smooth, scraping sides of bowl once. Transfer pesto to a large bowl; stir in reserved 1/4 cup pasta water and cheese. Add chicken and pasta; toss gently to coat.
Recipe from Dinnertime Survival Guide, reprinted with permission by Sally Kuzemchak and Cooking Light.