Sheet Pan Greek Pasta

 Today is Sunday.

I made a Greek-inspired pasta today. Greece is my favorite place on earth. Well, my favorite place that I have seen. There could be other good ones out there, but thus far in my research, Greece is the best. Don't tell Italy I said that. Sorry Countrymen, but you can't beat their amazing food, sunny weather, and incredibly friendly people. That's how I judge places. Is their food good? Italy- yes. London- no. México- yes. The South- no. Can I get tan there? Greece- YES. Various islands- yes. The Midwest- yes. Are the people nice? London- no. Spain- no. Costco- no. And so forth. Greece wins. Italy next, then México. Oopa.

This recipe is a big, fat, Greek party for your mouth. The flavors really come together nicely. It is also pretty easy to make and very customizable. You can omit the chicken, omit whatever veggies make your kids' scream, add in different veggies, etc. You can sauté shrimp with the same oil and seasonings used for the chicken and toss them in at the end. You can add some oil and vinegar and serve it cold and call it pasta salad. Basically if you keep the tomatoes, oregano, and one of the toppings, it's still Greek-ish pasta. Parakaló. Also, I speak Greek. 

Sheet Pan Greek Pasta

Prep Time: 15 minutes (depending how fast you chop)

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Serves 6 (depending how much you eat)

 Ingredients

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1 small zucchini, diced

1 small eggplant, peeled and diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 lb. dried pasta 

Toppings: fresh parsley, feta cheese, Kalamata olives (pitted and halved), lemon juice

Goddess of the Sink watches, judges.

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss first five ingredients in 2 T. olive oil. Add 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper, and 1/2 tsp. dried oregano. Boil water with 2 T. salt for pasta.

2) Pound your chicken breasts and cut into about 1 in. strips. Cut the strips in half or thirds. Toss chicken with 2 T. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper, 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, and red pepper flakes.

I love a good spatula with inspirational wording.

3) Spread meat and veggies out on a sheet pan. Bake 15 minutes. Add pasta to boiling water when pan goes in.

4) Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Put pasta in your serving bowl and top with meat and veggies, making sure to scrape the pan to gather all the oil and flavor. Swirl with a bit of the cooking water for extra juice. Top with parsley, feta cheese and Kalamata olives. Squeeze some lemon juice on top if you're feeling fancy. LOTS of strong opinions on feta and olives over here. First of all, you like them both, especially olives. Second of all, they do add lots of salt and some big flavor to the dish. Salt quantities listed above were adjusted to accommodate for these toppings. Taste it before you serve it and see what you think. Omitted the olives and feta and now it's not salty enough? Add salt or Parmesan cheese. Seems too salty for you? Squeeze some lemon. Your husbands can't handle the olives? Tell them to be quiet and set a good example. 

Comes out of the oven lookin' like this.