Pasta in Pesto Cream with Chicken and Tomatoes

This elegant dish is actually a cobbling together of scraps - a little of this, a little of that, put it all together to make something amazing!

I had leftover tomato rotini sitting in a baggie in the pantry. I had leftover cream from making chocolate truffles. I had tidbits of chicken sitting in the refrigerator. I had a few tomatoes still looking for a purpose in life. Why leave each of these ingredients to feel forlorn, when they could be transformed into something delicious?

If you have macaroni instead of rotini, that's okay. If you have ham instead of chicken, it'll be fine. If you have sundried tomatoes rather than fresh ones, don't worry. Whatever bits and pieces you need to use up, this sort of dish is very forgiving.

Just cook the pasta, then stir everything else together into a sauce. Your meal will be simple, sophisticated, and sublime.

Pasta in Pesto Cream with Chicken and Tomatoes

1 cup rotini
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped chicken
8 grape tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons pesto
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup cream
parmesan, for serving

Prepare rotini according to package directions.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and tomatoes; saute 2 minutes. Stir in the pesto, salt and pepper; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the cream and cook for 2 minutes.

Drain the pasta, and pour the sauce over it; toss to combine. Serve immediately, topped with parmesan.

Serves 2.