Asparagus,pecan, red bell pepper penne

Another enjoyable pasta dish

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This was great--from allrecipes.com . We used canned salmon in place of the chicken and gluten free penne. I used a bit o nutritional yeast instead of the cheese.

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta (me -gluten free)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (me a bit more)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces (I only had one good sized bunch)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I used some basil pesto)
• salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter (I omitted)
• 1 pound grilled chicken breast strips (I used salmon)
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese (I just used a sprinkle of nutritional yeast on each serving)
• 1/2 cup pecan halves (optional) (I used chopped)

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain.
2. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, red pepper, and asparagus; cook and stir 5 minutes until the garlic softens and mellows. Pour in the chicken broth, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer until the vegetables have softened, then add the basil, salt, pepper, butter, and chicken (or salmon). Cook and stir a few minutes until the chicken is hot. Stir in the cooked pasta, then fold in the Parmesan cheese(add pesto and nutritional yeast to individual servings if using) and pecan halves to serve.