Howdy! It’s time for another recipe! Woohoo! This is my version of a Farmer’s Pasta that I had at this fabulous Italian restaurant (I can’t remember the name) when I lived in Springfield, IL. Their version included a homemade sauce, but I am all about short cuts, especially when they taste yummy and are a crowd pleaser :) My short cut is the jar of pasta sauce, it is Roasted Garlic Parmesean flavor, sooo good!!
Chop up your potatoes, pepper, and tomatoes.
Chop up your chicken as well.
Drizzle two pans with olive oil, heat to medium. Season the chicken and the veggies with your garlic pepper and some salt. Brown in separate pans; cooking times vary greatly!
This is what happens when you multitask while trying to cook :( Potatoes and pepper in the trash!!!
But it is ok!! I had not chopped my potatoes as small as I wanted the first time, sooo second time is a charm! The smaller you chop the potatoes, the faster they cook and are done all the way through without burning the outside.
This is how the potatoes and green pepper looks perfectly browned. I used to add the tomatoes in at this point, and you can, but it makes everything a pinkish color. Also, add the chicken in because it will have been done long before these veggies and just hanging out waiting.
Add the sauce and the cheese on top of the veggies and chicken to warm the sauce and make everything start to come together as one dish.
Next, add the pasta directly from the boiling water. No, don’t dump all the water in too! I use a hand held pasta strainer thingy (very specific, I know). If you want to strain the pasta by dumping it all in the strainer, that is fine! Just make sure to save some of the pasta water to add to the entire dish because the starch in the water helps loosen up the sauce and make everything all cheesy and gooey and delicious!
If you haven’t already added the tomatoes, add them now on the top!
Isn’t this just gorgeous?!! My mouth is watering!
I hope this recipe has inspired you to try a new dish and add your own twist! The best thing about a Farmer’s Pasta is that you can just throw whatever vegetables and/or meat you have at home into one big, scrumptious dish! You can make it vegetarian by omitting the meat or you could add different peppers, potatoes, etc. The varieties are endless!
Yum! I am in Springfield regularly, but don’t think I have stumbled upon your inspiration for this yet. It might be my new mission.!
Oh how I wish I could remember the name of that restaurant! It was so long ago when I lived there … I’m going to have to try to figure it out and let you know! But another amazing restaurant that I miss terribly is Darcy’s Pint in Springfield, their Horseshoe is to die for!! A must try!!
I’ve never heard of this but it’s something I have to try. With our farmer’s market starting on Thursday, I’m excited to get in there and get some stuff so I can make this!
Jerusha, it is quite delicious! And with fresh produce from the farmer’s market, I am sure it will be even better! Throw in any veggies you like :) Thank you for stopping by!