Smoked chicken, runner beans, spinach and pesto pasta
Meat mains
Smoked chicken, runner beans, spinach and pesto pasta
A speedy weekday dinner: nutty spelt pasta with wilted spinach, runner beans and smoky chicken, all tossed in a succulent dressing of pesto and Parmesan. The beans and spinach can be replaced with any other greens you have in your veg box – just adjust the cooking time accordingly. For a pescatarian version, substitute the chicken with smoked mackerel or trout.
Ingredients
- 300g spelt pasta
- 200g runner beans, de-stringed with a peeler and cut at an angle into diamonds
- 100g spinach leaves, washed and chopped
- 2 smoked chicken breasts, sliced into batons
- 3 tbsp pesto
- large handful Parmesan, grated, to serve
Method
-
Step 1
Bring a large pan of well salted water to the boil. Add the pasta, give it a stir and cook for 4 minutes. Add the beans, bring back to the boil and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the spinach, cook for another minute and drain, keeping a little of the cooking liquid.
-
Step 2
Place the saucepan on a low heat and add a good glug of olive oil. Add the chicken, stir for a couple of minutes and add the pasta, veg and pesto. Keep stirring gently until everything is mixed together and back up to temperature. Serve with the Parmesan.
