Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Pasta

Nothing says summer than a loaded pasta salad. This Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Pasta is the perfect meal too cook outdoors, take to the beach or serve when entertaining.

A healthy pasta dish hits the spot after a day at the beach, lounging by the pool, or really any summer activity. This grilled chicken and vegetable pasta gives you a well-balanced meal—and lets you enjoy your vegetables right in your pasta.

This pasta recipe is a perfect fake-out meal. Even if your picky children and even pickier husbands leave out the grilled vegetables, they won’t even know that you’re feeding them something that’s good for them with this colorful Italian pasta.

Marinade and Dressing

The recipe begins with a marinade that also doubles as a dressing—full of light, bright summer flavors. Slowly brown whole garlic cloves in oil (my quick trick for capturing that sweet roasted garlic flavor). This step not only infuses the oil but also brings out the garlic’s natural sweetness.

Cooked garlic

This method not only cooks the garlic, you don’t get the raw garlic flavor(plus it’s more palatable for children). Fresh lemon zest, juice, fresh basil, the browned garlic and the oil are all blended until smooth.

Marinate the chicken breasts in half of the dressing. Reserve the rest for the vegetables and to drizzle over the finished dish. Grill the chicken and vegetables. Mix them with the pasta, then toss everything with the remaining dressing.

Chop fresh basil and generously grate Parmesan cheese over the finished pasta. Since Parmesan is one of the lowest-calorie cheeses, it makes this dish an even better fake-out. Who would guess a cheese-covered pasta could be healthy?

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