This fresh and lighter than the typical tomato pasta sauce has so much flavor, it is sure to bring the party to any noodles!
Tuscan cuisine is so dreamy. The key word in all of their dishes is FRESH. Using locally sourced vegetables, fruits, seafood, and of course olive oil! Cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. YUM! Italian food is always my go to for comfort and although I have not yet visited I have read so many recipe books, history books, and cooking shows that I can already tell you I cannot wait to eat my way through the entire country.
That being said one of my favorite things about Tuscan cuisine is the simplicity of it. It’s all about really good ingredients dancing together and creating a show stopping meal. This lovely pasta sauce is simple to make and one of my absolute favorites.
Using fresh tomatoes, carrots, celery, onion, basil, parsley, and of course olive oil, letting it simmer down for 1 hour, puree/mill, and boom! Amazing fresh light pasta sauce.
I love to serve on fresh pasta of any kind. A simple sprinkle of parmigiana Reggiano and fresh herbs… oh yeah!
Here are some links that will pair well.
Basic Pasta Dough – Kitchen Aid
Let’s get started
Spicy Chicken Pasta with Ricotta and Basil
Ingredients
SAUCE
- 2 lbs fresh ripe tomatoes
- 2/3 sweet or yellow, onion, chopped
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley
- 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 large basil leaves
- salt to taste
- 1 1/2 tsp Nashville Hot Chicken spice blend website link posted above
- 1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1 cup AP Flour or Gluten free AP flour
- 1 cup ITALIAN bread crumbs
- 2 tsp Nashville hot blend
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tbsp water
- salt and pepper to taste
- vegetable oil for frying
Pasta
- 3/4 box of bow tie pasta, cooked al dente reserve 1/4 cup pasta water
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- fresh basil leaves torn, 3 to for per serving
Instructions
- Start by cutting the tomatoes in half and gently squeezing out the seedsChop, the onion, carrot, celery, and parsley. Put in a medium sized dutch oven or sauce pot.
- Let simmer on LOW for 1 hour, mixing every now and then.
- After 1 hour the veges will be soft and squishable.
- Move to a food mill or food processor. If you are using a food processor, puree and strain to get rid of the mash/tomato skin and seed. Now season with Nashville hot chicken blend, salt, 4 tbsp. olive oil, and the chopped basil. Stir well and set aside.
Chicken
- Half the chicken breasts and smash to a thin strip with a kitchen mallet. Try to make even as possible. Season each breast on both sides with salt and pepper.In a shallow bowl combine the bread crumbs and cheese. Mix.In another bowl pour in the flour, Nashville Hot blend, and oregano. Last bowl combine eggs and water.One piece at a time, dip the chicken in the flour, then egg draining off a bit, and finish in the bread mix. Make sure the bread is covering the breasts well and press to be sure it sticks.Mover to a baking sheet, or plate to rest while you finish coating all the chicken.In a frying pan heat the oil over medium heat. Place as many breasts as can fit into the pan and sauté 8-10 minutes per side. Keep a close eye not to burn. It should be a nice golden brown. I like to cut one open and see if its cooked all the way or use a thermometer. It should read 165° Cooking time varies on size of chicken and pan so just keep an eye on cooking times and know what works for you!After cooked, move to a cutting board to rest. Finish cooking any remaining pieces, adding oil and again if needed. Let them rest for 10 minutes before cutting or serving.
Assembly
- To assemble, cook pasta until al dente, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water. Back to the pasta pot goes the pasta, pasta water, the chicken and all but a couple tablespoons of the sauce. Mix together and serve. Finish off with a couple dollops of ricotta, fresh basil, and some of the reserved pasta.
- ENJOY!
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