About
After all that work you put in during your Monday through Friday job, it's such a relief to have an extra day to yourself! Serve up some Labor Day Pasta and give yourself the break you need. This creamy, cheesy pasta concoction tastes even better than something you'd order at a restaurant. Plus, it only takes a few minutes to make, allowing you to really take advantage of your day off in more ways than one! Soak up every ounce of your free time with the Labor Day Pasta! You deserve it!
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) box penne or other short pasta
- 8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed, can substitute snow peas
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- salt, to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 1/3 cup parmesan, grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped, plus more, to taste, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 -In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook the penne to al dente, according to the package directions, adding the snap peas during the last 2 minutes of the cooking time.
Step 2 -Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water and drain the rest.
Step 3 -While the penne is cooking, in a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.
Step 4 -Add the garlic to the melted butter and cook, while stirring, until it is fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Step 5 -Add the flour to the garlic-butter and cook, while stirring, about 1 minute.
Step 6 -Slowly whisk the milk into the flour mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until it is thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
Step 7 -Add the salt and the pepper to the sauce and stir to combine.
Step 8 -Stir the cooked penne mixture, the shredded chicken, the parmesan, and 2 tablespoons of the basil into the sauce.
Step 9 -Stir the reserved pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time, into the pasta mixture until the sauce has reached the desired consistency. You may not need all of the pasta water.
Step 10 -Serve the pasta garnished with the extra basil.
