Hotplate: Wagon Wheel Pasta with Chicken, Spinach & DIY Pesto

Updated 12/22/19
Made minor edits to clarify process.

I peruse my Star Trek Cookbook often and have made several recipes from the cookbook. There are two things, I think many cookbook authors miss, adding humor and personal stories. It's just fun reading this cookbook.

  One recipe I have been waiting a long time to make is Garrett Wang's Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. I spent months looking for "Rotelle" pasta (wagon wheel pasta). Then, Hurray! I found some bags of small wagon wheel pasta, called "Engrane" in Mexico.

Looking at this recipe, now, my eyes roll.

I am not going to be making this recipe as it is stated in the Star Trek Cookbook, gotta adapt it to what I have and also make it GERD-friendly.

Plus, I wonder, how can spinach be a substitute for pasta as the recipe suggests?

Oh no, I forgot the recipe called for pesto. So, I desperately searched for an easy DIY pesto recipe.

Luckily, I found one at RecipeTinEats! Now, I don't have a blender, so I am not sure what to call the mixture I made, maybe "Almost Pesto Sauce." Now, that I think about it, I should have just stirred the mixture more furiously.

Even though I have been trying to learn how to cook for years now, I am still uncomfortable with many of the ingredients and processes.

While this recipe states the process in a logical order, I was bouncing all over the kitchen because I would forget one step before I started another. Or the pasta boiled over. Or I almost ran out of tablespoons. Or I ran out of space to put things. I felt a little like Neelix (Ethan Phillips) when he runs around Voyager's kitchen cooking up a storm for the crew with various pots boiling, frying, and steaming.

The sink is full of all the dishes, cups, bowls, spoons, pots and pans I used. While I am exhausted, I know IF I make this recipe again, it will go easier.



Hotplate: Wagon Wheel Pasta with Chicken, Spinach & DIY Pesto
(Adapted from: Star Trek Cookbook, Garrett Wang “Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes”)

Note: While this dish is cooked on a hotplate, it is served cold.


Ingredients:

2 Cups Frozen spinach
1-2 Cups water
1 dab of olive oil
1 Tomato bouillon cube
1 200g (7 oz) Engrane (tiny wagon wheel pasta)
2 TBspns olive oil (Sorry I do not ask my olive oil about their sex lives.)
1 350g (12.3 oz) Can of Chicken, drained
1/2 Tspn garlic powder
A few grinds of Ground black pepper
S/P to taste
Sauce: 3 TBspns Pesto sauce, store bought or DIY (See DIY Pesto Recipe Post)
Garnish: Parmesan cheese and extra olive oil (optional)

(Some Ingredients shown are for the DIY Pesto)

 
Pre-Preparations:

Cook Spinach:

Add frozen spinach to a 2-cup container.
Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes.
Remove, drain, and set aside.


Make Tomato Stock:

Add cube of tomato bouillon to 2 cups of water.
Microwave water 2-3 minutes on high to bring to a boil.
Remove and stir to make sure bouillon has dissolved.


Make Pasta:

Put pasta into a large pot, cover with tomato stock.
Add a dab of olive oil.
Stir.
Bring to a boil.
Stir.
Add salt if desired.
Stir.
Cover.
Boil about 5-8 minutes.
Watch the pot, it may boil over.
Check pasta to see if is done. It is done, if it is still a bit firm and you can bite it easily (al dente).
Drain pasta, reserve some of the pasta liquid, and set aside.


Process:

In a skillet, add a dab of olive oil and garlic powder.
Cook on medium heat.
Stir and mix oil and powder.
Add chicken.
Add spinach.
Stir thoroughly.
Cook on medium heat until mixture is hot throughout.
Add a little pasta water if the mixture is too dry.
Add mixture to pasta in pot.
Stir mixture thoroughly.
Pour mixture into a large bowl.
Add pesto sauce.
Stir thoroughly.
Cover bowl and place in frig.
Wait until mixture is chilled throughout.
When serving, garnish with Parmesan cheese and additional olive oil, if desired.

I forgot how much pasta 1 small bag makes. I have to figure out how to halve this recipe.

 Note: While I really like the flavor the tomato bouillon adds, I keep forgetting bouillon cubes add quite a bit of salt and spice to any dish.

 #GERD-friendly - if you reduce the garlic powder to just a hint.