Pasta with Walnuts and Parsley

I really love simple dishes, and with the crazy week we've had with running around each evening it's been even more important. Tonight, I revisited the Panko Chicken that I made not too long ago and my boys were thrilled with it again. I wasn't terribly hungry, but wanted something slightly more interesting, so I decided to make a recipe marked in Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life. I know, I must sound like an advertisement for this cookbook, but I must say I've enjoyed nearly everything I've made from it.

The Fettuccine with Walnuts and Parsley is something you can make without an actual recipe. And chances are you may just have the ingredients on hand already. I didn't have whole wheat fettuccine on hand, so I used whole wheat spaghetti and I think it worked well. While the pasta is cooking, toast about 1/2 cup or so of chopped walnuts for a few minutes in a dry skillet until they are fragrant - maybe 3 minutes or so. Once the pasta is done, drain and set aside. In the pasta pot, add just under a 1/4 cup of EVOO and heat over medium-low heat, then add about 2 teaspoons chopped garlic and cook for about 3 minutes. Make sure to watch so that it does not burn. Then add back the pasta, all the walnuts except for a couple tablespoons, a 1/2 cup of chopped parsely and about 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Toss all together, then add 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. When serving add a sprinkle of the chopped walnuts to the top of each serving.

I enjoyed this pasta dish, my Husband didn't care for it but I kind of figured he wouldn't so I wasn't surprised. I can't expect him to enjoy every whole wheat pasta dish I make, at least I have managed to find a few that he is willing to eat. Baby steps! My Oldest liked it as well, but he's an adventurous eater these days so I knew he'd give it a full taste before deciding if he liked it or not. I thought the Parmesan cheese and the chicken broth combined together to add just the slightest bit of creaminess to the pasta. I love that it doesn't have a heavy sauce, and flavors blended really well together. This really worked nicely for busy evening.