Mediterranean Pasta Bowl

During the winter months we’re really drawn to hearty comfort food and especially, pasta. So this season we decided to use our winter Mary’s Secret Ingredient’s subscription box to create this Mediterranean Pasta Bowl. It’s so simple to make, and you can tailor it to your own tastes.

We were really happy with the things we got this season, especially the lingonberries, seasoning, and tea! Mary’s Secret Ingredients is a little different than some of the other boxes in that they release theirs seasonally, so you get a box with food items and 1 kitchen tool every spring, summer, fall & winter. You can check out what we got this past summer and spring  and fall boxes. This one contained Sfoglini Pasta Shop Pasta, Cabernayzn Carbernet & Merlot Raisins, Merrymint Green Tea, Home Cooks Pantry Za’atar, Felix Lingonberries & the Cake Server, which was this seasons tool.  The best part about Mary’s is that they like to do good with their box as well. They are a big supporter of Feed the Children, and other charities.

In making this pasta bowl we really wanted to highlight the blend of Za’atar Mediterranean Spices that were in our box, so we decided to play off those flavors. To start, you’ll need:

Chicken Breasts
Za’atar Mediterranean Spices
Frozen vegetables (we just used a blend of cauliflower, broccoli, and carrot)
fresh tomatoes
Pasta (any kind will do)
Canned olives
Sauce – we recommend using pesto, or this homemade Mediterranean sauce. (We just used a bit of caramelized onion in port wine sauce that we happened to have)

To start, marinate your chicken breasts with a blend of olive oil & the za’atar spices. We definitely recommend letting it marinate for a couple of hours so the flavor really gets in there. Once it’s marinated, add to a pan and brown until cooked. While your chicken is cooking, put on a pan of water for your pasta. Once the pasta water is boiling, add pasta. Cook until al dente and drain.

After your chicken is done, remove from the pan and set aside. Add your veggies to the pan, add some olive oil & za’atar spices and cook until tender. Once your pasta & veggies are done, you can cut up your chicken breasts into strips. Then simply spoon some pasta in a bowl, top with veggies, chicken, olives, fresh tomatoes & sauce. Once you have everything there, just mix it together. Easy, right?!

That’s really all there is to it. It’s a simple dish that you can totally customize to your taste. You can even top this with some feta for more of a greek feel. If you want more or less sauce, just add it, or if you don’t want olives, you totally don’t have to use them. It’s great especially if you have multiple people in your family who are picky about their pasta & toppings. 

What would you add to your pasta bowl?

* Mary’s Secret Ingredients sent us a complimentary box to use in a recipe. You’ll find a full disclosure statement here.  

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