Chicken Kale Pasta

This Chicken Kale Pasta post was sponsored by Eat Smart as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. I received product samples to facilitate my review.

Do you remember the days of having to buy salad ingredients individually, bringing them home, then washing and chopping everything? Of course, you can still do that today, but it’s time-consuming and frankly because I can be a bit lazy, a lot of times I ended up using fewer ingredients in my salad. 

I bought a salad spinner a few years ago thinking it would save my sanity ~ or at least time spent washing and drying ~ but alas, the ol’ salad spinner went into one of my garage sales.

When I was offered a chance to try Eat Smart Gourmet Vegetable Salad Kits recently, I jumped. It’s a complete salad all on its own, including the dressing  ~ just toss and serve but there’s much more you can do with them. Think Creamy. Chicken. Kale. Pasta. . .

I have a confession. Salad-making really isn’t specialty, other than my favorite Michigan Salad. How do other people just know which greens play well with the others?

Thankfully we don’t need to be experts to eat really good salads at home because the Eat Smart Gourmet Vegetable Salad Kit has taken the guesswork out. I’ve been buying Eat Smart packaged vegetables for a while now. Always fresh with beautiful, vibrant colors. Moving over to their gourmet salads was a piece of cake. . .

Top 3 reasons I buy bagged salads:

1. Fresh taste.
2. Convenience.
3. High quality, perfectly portioned ingredients.

Eat Smart Gourmet Vegetable Salad Kits go way beyond ‘bagged salads’. Read on ⇓

Where I live in the Midwest we’ll soon we’ll be scraping ice off our windshields and shoveling snow deep enough to bury a house cat. So while I love a cold, crisp salad in the summer,  when temps drop, I want need warm, comfort food. You know what I mean.

Many of us are in the same boat – we need that good, nutritious warm meal to go from stove to table pretty quickly too ~ especially during the week when life can get a little hectic.

Is a delicious, healthy meal that’s on the table in under 30 minutes too much to ask for?

Chicken Kale Pasta is an any-night option and is ready in under 30 minutes. It also contains 7 Superfoods already in the kit and makes a beautiful dish combining both dried cranberries for a bit of sweetness and pumpkin seeds for the slightest crunchy texture. 

I love a sweet-savory combo and this Mushroom Risotto  with dried cherries makes a routine appearance at our house. I can literally eat it by the bowlful (and have, without a single regret). Chicken Kale Pasta reminds me of a healthier version of it.

So many recipe ideas came to mind when I was offered the chance to create a meal with this Sweet Kale Eat Smart Gourmet Salad Kit but it came down to two basic categories: pizza or pasta ~ two of my favorite things to eat. I could have easily gone in either direction.

Will Chicken Kale Pasta change your life? Maybe not. But it’s a really great dish ~ a healthier option for you and your family and personally, when I eat healthier, I just feel better. Sometimes it’s just that simple and Eat Smart Gourmet Vegetable Salad Kits  easily transform into main dishes, appetizers and sides, too.

The ingredients ~

• Sweet Kale Eat Smart Gourmet Vegetable Salad Kit
• 2 – boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 12 ounces of pasta (whole wheat or pasta of your choice) 
• 6 ounces of garlic-herb goat cheese brought to room temp
• 1 cup of grape tomatoes, cut in half
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 – tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/3 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Cut the chicken into about 1″ squares, place in a bowl and add the salad dressing included in the kit, moving the chicken around until it’s completely coated. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes or up to overnight.

Heat a skillet over medium heat, then shake off any excess marinade and add the chicken to the skillet in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper and sauté the chicken 2-3 minutes per side, allowing it to brown and cook completely through. 

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions, reserving one cup of the pasta water, then drain it.

Do you know it’s important to generously salt pasta water? It’s your best chance to flavor the pasta.

When the chicken is finished cooking, remove it from the skillet. Add one tablespoon of olive oil, the salad contents (don’t add the dried cranberries or pumpkin seeds yet) and the diced tomatoes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook 3-4 minutes stirring, allowing the kale to wilt.

When the vegetables have softened and the tomatoes begin to release their juices, move them to the parameter of the skillet and add the garlic-herb goat cheese, parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Whisk together to form a creamy sauce, adding more pasta water a little at a time as necessary.

Once the sauce is blended, fold in the pasta, sprinkle the pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries over the top and serve right away.

 

Are you ready to stock up on Eat Smart Gourmet Vegetable Salad Kits? Here’s where you can find them near you.

Would you like to win an AMEX gift card and Eat Smart Gourmet Vegetable Salad Kits? Just click the giveaway tool, like Eat Smart on Facebook and sign up for their monthly e-newsletter. That’s it!

I-C will randomly select winners from all program entries and will facilitate fulfillment of the winning prizes (10).

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