Ditalini with grilled chicken and tapenade sauce

 

Ditalini means “little thimbles” in Italian, and this short tubular pasta will hold whatever goes into it, making it the perfect carrier for a tapenade sauce, which is thick and spicy. I added some grilled chicken into the mix, and the results were 5 stars ***** great. Buono appetito!

Ditalini with grilled chicken and tapenade sauce

1 16-ounce box of ditalini pasta (or elbow macaroni will do fine too)

tapenade (recipe to follow)

1 pound boneless chicken breast, grilled to your liking and cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup chicken broth

soy parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Bring a large pot of water to boil, add the ditalini, and cook til al dente, about 10 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, make the tapenade:

1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and patted dry

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon thyme

1 clove garlic

ground pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in your food processor for about 10 seconds.

Drain the pasta when cooked, and place in a large bowl. Add the chicken, the tapenade, and the broth. Toss everything together well, then sprinkle a little soy parmesan on the top to your liking. Serves 6.