Campanelle with Heirloom Tomatoes, Fresh Chilies and Grilled Chicken

Perfect weeknight dinner! It is fresh, lightly spicy and delicious. The tomatoes are so gorgeous right now, take advantage of all of the beautiful colors and varieties. I also love cooking with fresh chilies. Experiment with different varieties, just make sure you test their spicy level first! The two that I used are spicy, but not too spicy- my kids still ate the pasta. The sprinkling of fresh chives add color and a subtle onion flavor and the nutty parmesan adds a creamy, sharp flavor. Delicious!!

Campanelle with Heirloom Tomatoes, Fresh Chilies and Grilled Chicken, serves 4-6

1 lb dried campanelle, or other short dried pasta
3 cups heirloom tomatoes, (preferably in assorted colors)
1 red “Fresno” chili, (looks like a red jalapeno)
1 red “yellow” chili, (pale yellow color)
½ lb thinly sliced chicken breasts
¼ cup minced chives
1 cup finely grated parmesan
olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Put a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Simultaneously, bring a grill to medium-high heat, or a grill pan to medium- high heat.

Drizzle chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper on both sides. Place the chicken breasts on the grill, and cook on each side 3-5 minutes, or until just cooked through.

Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces and set aside.

Put the pasta in to boil, and cook to al dente according to package directions.

Slice the heirloom tomatoes into thin slices and place in a bowl. Thinly slice the chili’s and place in the bowl with the tomatoes.

When the pasta is done, reserve about a cup of pasta water. Drain the pasta and toss with the tomatoes, chili’s, chicken, chives and half of the parmesan. If it feels dry, add some of the pasta water according to the feel of the pasta. Drizzle the pasta and vegetables with olive oil and toss again. Serve with the rest of the parmesan sprinkled on top.