Pasta, Broccoli and Chicken

This is one of those recipes that I just love. Easy to make, tasty and goes a long way. We had this for dinner last week and my son loved it so much that he had it for a snack when he came home from school!!! I found this once again on Allrecipes. Between reading all the food blogs that I do and searching Allrecipes it's a wonder that I would even have cookbooks anymore. It's funny because of all the cookbooks that I do have, I always go back to the first one I ever owned - Doubleday Cookbook.....It's around 30 years old but it still has just about every recipe you would want in it. I have always used this for a reference if I'm not sure how to cook something. Almost like having an old pair of shoes you don't ever want to part with!

It has been hot, hot and hot here the past few days. We spent one afternoon at the pool and that's it. It's even too hot for that! We're talking record breaking temperatures. But that is ok with me. I'd rather it be like this than be cold and have snow - no thank you!!!! Anyhow, this recipe is very versatile. You can use more or less of one ingredient depending on your taste. The recipe below is exactly as it appears in Allrecipes, but I used more of each ingredient since I had about 2 pounds of chicken instead of 1.....

12 ounces rigatoni pasta (I used penne)

1/2 lb fresh broccoli florets

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons pesto (I used 4)

1 cup chopped tomatoes

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 pound boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and chopped

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

In a large pot with boiling salted water cook pasta until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile blanch broccoli florets in a medium size saucepan, remove with a slotted spoon. In same pan saute the minced garlic and pesto sauce in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and set aside.

In a large bowl toss cooked pasta with blanced broccoli, cooked chicken and garlic/tomato mixture. Add grated Parmesan cheese, salt and ground black pepper and mix well. Serve warm.