This recipe comes from Diane Barnette in Reno, Nevada who writes: “My son has the typical diet of a five-year-old: hot dogs and pizza. That’s why I was surprised when he started requesting this dish for dinner. In fact, he enjoys it so much that in our house, we refer to it as Casey’s pasta.”
Well, her Casey should be 21 years old by now; as this recipe along with Diane’s comments were published in Bon Appetit’s ” Readers Best Recipes” section in October 1997!! Maybe through the magic of the Internet this post will find her. I’d bet she’d be delighted to know that 16 years later I’m still loving her pasta recipe….and you will too.
My husband, also named Casey, thinks he doesn’t like blue cheese or Gorgonzola; but asks for seconds of this dish. The Gorgonzola melts into the sauce, with the flavor mellowing and adding richness without its usual distinct flavor. Which makes sense why a 5 year old would like a pasta with such sophisticated ingredients.
1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (2 Tbs. oil reserved)
2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 9 oz. total)
1 pound gnocchi pasta or medium shell pasta
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup canned low salt chicken broth
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (about 2 oz.)
1/4 cup chopped prosciutto
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Heat 1 Tbs. oil reserved from tomatoes in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and sauté until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool; do not clean skillet. Cut chicken when cool into 1/2 inch pieces.
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, but still firm to the bite. Drain the pasta, and transfer it to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 Tbs. tomato oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic; sauté until tender, about 1 minute. Add sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, basil, broth,, cheese and prosciutto to the skillet and bring to a boil. Add the sauce to the pasta and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with pine nuts and serve. Serves 4.
Note: I used larger chicken breasts and cut the pieces a bit larger. I had never used the Gnocchi shaped pasta before and loved it! Instead of adding the sauce to the pasta I added the pasta to the sauce, and let it cook together a few minutes to absorb more of the flavor.
UPDATE! June, 2015 The internet has worked it’s magic, and Diane has stumbled on this post and written to me! I asked if she had any new favorite recipes and she sent Risi E Bisi (Risotto with Peas and Pancetta) which is posted on June 14, 2015. Delicious!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Love the power of the internet! This was a staple in our house when it was first published in Bon Appetit! Wanted to revisit it as it was also one of my 3 y/o son’s favorites! Couldn’t find the recipe & only remembered it as “Casey’s pasta” Thanks so much for your post – makes dinner easy tonight!
Thanks for writing! It’s so wonderful to be reunited with a favorite lost recipe…
Thank you for posting this recipe, Hilary. I’ve also made it for years and we always call it Casey’s pasta — even though we don’t know anyone named Casey. It would be fun if Casey or his mom checked in to let us know how they’re doing. I bet Casey is a good cook! I will admit to sometimes replacing the pine nuts with either chopped walnuts or marcona almonds. When the recipe was originally written, you probably didn’t need to take out a second mortgage to afford pine nuts!
Well Dot, I can answer your questions! If you will be willing to go to the Main Dish category and scroll all the way back to June 14, 2015 (sorry for some reason I can’t connect a link here! Darn!) you will find the story of Casey’s Mom stumbling on this post and letting us know that Casey IS a good cook and sends along another recipe you will like called Risi & Bisi (Risotto with Peas and Pancetta) . The wonders of the internet!!! I agree about pine nuts being crazy expensive. Thanks for writing! Hilary