This recipe was born from a “we-have-nothing-to-eat-for-dinner-but-I-don’t- want-to-go-to-the-store” kind of night. While looking through our pantry, we came across some kalamata olives and artichoke hearts which was equally exciting and scary since we couldn’t remember buying either of these and they aren’t typical ingredients we “just have” in our cupboard. I doubt that this was lucky happenstance, sometimes I get these grand ideas to make elaborate meals and then life happens. I probably realized I don’t have time to spend 2 hours in the kitchen, on a Tuesday, when I have 2 IEPs on Friday so some of the ingredients get repurposed into something familiar and easy the others get shoved to the back of the pantry. The olives and artichokes were probably the casualty of a forgone “fancy” meal. Either way, my current self was thanking my past self because we had fun ingredients to play with.
When we go to Costco we always stock up on these Sabatino’s Paleo basil and cracked pepper chicken sausages. They are super tasty and very convenient for nights when you need a throw together quickly kind of meal. We put them in the freezer and pull out half the package (6 links) as needed. We always rinse off any kind of fully cooked sausage before we eat them to get off all the liquid and brine that they are packaged in but you don’t have to. Your kitchen, your rules!
If you want to make this dish Paleo or dairy free simply leave out the feta. For those that aren’t a fan of zucchini noodles, you can make this with any kind of pasta just cook it according to the package directions. Additionally, you’ll add your minced garlic, all 4 TBSP of lemon juice, salt, pepper, and paprika to the sauce at step 2 (when you add the artichokes, olives, and tomatoes). Once the pasta is cooked, add it to the sauce along with the fresh herbs, and toss to combine. As always, let us know if you liked this dish in the comments. Happy Cooking!
Greek Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 6 fully cooked chicken sausage links, cut into bite sized pieces see post for our preferred brand
- 12 oz jar quartered artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
- 6 oz jar diced kalamata olives, drained and rinsed
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 4 tbsp lemon juice, divided (roughly 2 lemons)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped can sub 2 TBSP dried basil
- 2 TBSP fresh oregano leaves can sub 1 TBSP dried oregano
- 1 TBSP granulated garlic
- 4 large zucchinis, spiralized into noodles*
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 TBSP avocado or olive oil
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, optional (omit if Paleo)
Instructions
- Heat a large cast iron skilled or dutch oven over med-high heat and add 1 TBSP of oil. Once ready, add the sausage and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sausage pieces are cooked through and browned
- Add the olives, artichokes, tomatoes, 2 TBSP lemon juice, and granulated garlic then cook for 7-10 minutes, or until the tomatoes break down and pop. Stir occasionally.
- Once your tomatoes have broken down remove the mixture to a bowl
- Add minced garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds
- Add zucchini noodles to the pan along with the remaining lemon juice, salt, pepper, and paprika and cook until the noodles just begin to soften, 3-5 minutes. You can strain your noodles if they yield a lot of liquid
- Add the sauce mixture back to the noodles along with the fresh basil and oregano leaves. Toss to combine and cook an additional 30-60 seconds to incorporate the flavors.
- Serve as is or top with optional feta cheese
