But when she got there, the cupboard was bare...
Penne Chicken Caesar Salad
Originally uploaded by Antof9. Let's call this one Penne Chicken Caesar Salad.
Here's the recipe, such as it is:
1 chicken breast, baked with oregano, salt, pepper
Romaine lettuce, cut in strips
Caesar Salad dressing
penne pasta, cooked and cooled
toasted pine nuts
croutons
Grated parmigiano/reggiano
a generous amount of black pepper
Here's how it happened:
- I fixed zugenia's Spicy Vodka Cream Sauce for lunch the other day, with Penne
- Then I wanted to use the leftovers for dinner, but Unk needs protein! So I baked a bunch of chicken breasts to go with it (that, by the way, was yummy).
- Then I thought I'd use the 2 leftover chicken breasts for a chicken caesar when I realized there was only 1 chicken and not much lettuce on hand. Curses!
- I knew just a bit of filler would still make this dinner work. Hey, how about the leftover penne?
- I get the Caesar dressing out of the fridge, and in the process of shaking it, check the expiration date. Ut-oh. April of 2008.
- I am sure I can make some, so I do a quick Google and find this totally simple recipe (I know that Caesar dressing traditionally has anchovy paste -- or real ones -- in it, but I don't have any in the pantry anyway, so there you have it). I also didn't add the cheese to the dressing, since I used it generously in the salad.
- I thought some toasted pine nuts would add something exciting to it, so I threw them in too (next time I wouldn't bother -- they were kind of lost in the mix).
We loved it! It was really, really good. One thing I wish I'd tried was to add sun-dried tomatoes. I almost did, and then I decided against it. I think they'd have been yummy and added some color too. But it was good. We both liked it, and Unk has told me to never buy bottled Caesar dressing again. I'll definitely be making this on purpose again.