I saw this recipe and thought it sounded brilliant, and wondered why we’d never thought of it before!  Chicken fajita pasta – such a simple idea, and it’s so easy to make. We used to make a different version of chicken fajitas when Little One was younger, until one day she just refused to eat them. So when I saw this I knew it was worth giving it a try – and she loved it! The original recipe says to use tomato salsa, but I just used a tin of chopped tomatoes instead which worked well. We also added a few mushrooms for a certain small person 🙂

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp garlic powder

460g chicken breasts, cut into strips

1½ tbsp olive oil

350g penne pasta

1 red onion, sliced

1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced

1 yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced

2 tbsp tomato puree

230g tomato salsa (or a tin of chopped tomatoes works well)

150g low-fat sour cream

50g reduced-fat cheddar cheese, grated

Method

1. Mix together the smoked paprika, chilli, cumin, cayenne and garlic powder. Rub half into the chicken pieces. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large deep frying pan and cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes until golden all over and almost cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Drain well and set aside, reserving a little of the cooking water.

3. Heat the remaining oil in the pan and cook the onion along with the remaining spice mix for 3-4 minutes until tender. Season, then add the peppers and cook for another 3-4 minutes until just soft.

4. Add the chicken back to the pan along with the tomato puree. Cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the cooked pasta, salsa and sour cream. Heat through, and if the sauce needs loosening, add a little of the reserved pasta water until you reach a desired consistency. Sprinkle over the cheese to serve.

I had some of this pasta for lunch the next day too and it was really good! We’ll definitely be having this more often. The original recipe is from the Sainsbury’s website. If you want more delicious recipes, try this chicken fettuccine or Jamie Oliver’s chicken pie, which is always a winner!