Asparagus, Chicken, and Pecan Pasta

316 Ratings
  • 5 Rating Star 207
  • 4 Rating Star 89
  • 3 Rating Star 16
  • 1 Rating Star 2
  • 2 Rating Star 2
Read Reviews

Penne pasta tossed with asparagus, red peppers, pecans, and Parmesan cheese in a delicious sauce that is creamy without being over-powering. This has been a tremendous hit every time I've made it.

By Julie Ledford
+ 27
+ 26
prep:
30 mins
cook:
20 mins
total:
50 mins
Servings:
6
Max Servings:
6
Nutrition Info
Advertisement

Ingredients

Directions

  • Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain.

    Ads will not print with your recipe

  • Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, red pepper, and asparagus; cook and stir 5 minutes until the garlic softens and mellows. Pour in the chicken broth, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer until the vegetables have softened, then add the basil, salt, pepper, butter, and chicken. Cook and stir a few minutes until the chicken is hot. Stir in the cooked pasta, then fold in the Parmesan cheese and pecan halves to serve.

Tip

Aluminum foil can be used to keep food moist, cook it evenly, and make clean-up easier.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:
685.49 calories; 44.78 g protein; 64 g carbohydrates; 6.98 g dietary-fiber; 6.66 g sugars; 29.24 g fat; 10.86 g saturated-fat; 94.01 mg cholesterol; 2213.06 IU vitamin-a-iu; 19.01 mg niacin-equivalents; 0.55 mg vitamin-b6; 34.4 mg vitamin-c; 96.32 mcg folate; 352.99 mg calcium; 6.74 mg iron; 97.42 mg magnesium; 701.06 mg potassium; 477.99 mg sodium; 0.33 mg thiamin; 263.18 calories-from-fat; 36 percent-of-calories-from-carbs; 37 percent-of-calories-from-fat; 25 percent-of-calories-from-protein; 13 percent-of-calories-from-sat-fat

Reviews (222)

Read All Reviews

Most helpful positive review

Emma
05/20/2008
Fantastic spring time dish! It does work best to keep the pot covered when you add the chicken stock and also when you add the remaining ingredients. This way there is some liquid left when you add the parmesan and you don't need to add any more chicken stock. I will definately make this again!
Helpful
(85)

Most helpful critical review

Anonymous
03/17/2011
I did not care for this recipe.
316 Ratings
  • 5 Rating Star 207
  • 4 Rating Star 89
  • 3 Rating Star 16
  • 1 Rating Star 2
  • 2 Rating Star 2
Emma
05/20/2008
Fantastic spring time dish! It does work best to keep the pot covered when you add the chicken stock and also when you add the remaining ingredients. This way there is some liquid left when you add the parmesan and you don't need to add any more chicken stock. I will definately make this again!
Helpful
(85)
Julie Ledford
03/28/2008
Probably my favorite main-dish recipe of all time. I often make it with chicken sausage instead of grilled chicken strips and it is always such a hit. Sam's Club sells a chicken-spinach sausage that is perfect for this recipe. Enjoy!
Helpful
(78)
Lythgoe29
07/19/2008
This was very easy and very good. I woud alter next time in a couple of ways - a little red pepper flakes and I would substitute pine nuts for the pecans. The pecans were interesting but pine nuts seem better suited to the dish.
Helpful
(76)
DOMINIAKS
03/30/2008
Really liked this recipe. My husband who really is picky about his chicken dishes thought this was great. I did substitute pesto in place of the basil leaves as I did not have fresh basil and the stuff at the store looked a bit less than fresh. Turned out great. Thanks for a super recipe.
Helpful
(43)
Anonymous
04/08/2008
Great dish- family loved it! Used Havarti cheese instead of parmesan- it melts better and toasted the pecans while I was grilling the chicken
Helpful
(34)
Anonymous
11/11/2010
Awesome! Absolutely the best dish we have made from this site. I would not change anything. Next time I might try breaking the pecans up so that I get more in every bite. Also we roasted the pecans in the oven before adding them but it would be good even without the nuts.
Helpful
(27)
carolgray62
04/02/2008
Great dish! Only used 1 bunch of asparagus and added mushrooms.
Helpful
(22)
Anonymous
04/01/2008
Great great dish. We made it for some friends that are getting married in 4 days. Very easy to prepare and very filling. We doubled the recipe actually and sent the remainder (which was quite a bit) home with them for the rest of the week so they didn't have to cook. Yea it was that much. The only thing I would do differently is cut down the amount of Penne noodles the recipe calls for. The dish itself is so good that you end up looking for a fork full without the noodles. They work well together but I will probably use half the noodles next time.
Helpful
(22)
MImom
02/08/2011
Fabulous! Quick and easy with great flavor! Will definitely make again. Husband and I really liked the addition of the pecans. You can add any veggies that you like and season it to your individual taste. We loved it just as is!
Helpful
(19)
More Reviews