Canned tomatoes are the basis for a delicious sauce in this quick dish of angel hair pasta with sauteed chicken. JENNIFER BRUNO/STAFF

Easy Italian

Seasoned, diced tomatoes -- from a can -- add a burst of flavor to everyday pasta

Web posted February 16, 2000

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By Karin Calloway
Columnist

If dinner on the run means another night of drive-through fast food or pizza delivery, rethink your plans. This week and next, I'll share recipes that use seasoned, diced tomatoes for quick, healthy meals that can be on the table faster than a pizza man at your front door.

Preparing recipes with canned tomatoes used to involve draining the liquid, then making a mess on the chopping board dicing the tomatoes.

Now many good brands of diced tomatoes are available. Seasoned varieties take even more work out of meal preparation and require fewer additions from your spice rack.

Today's recipe for quick chicken pasta calls for two cans of diced tomatoes with Italian-style herbs. The combination of tomatoes, basil, oregano and garlic is wonderful when it's heated and poured over pasta but even better when you add sauteed, diced chicken breasts and shredded cheese. The flavor of the seasoned canned tomatoes is great, and my children call this ``pizza pasta'' because of its zippy flavor.

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The chicken is quickly sauteed in olive oil. The canned tomatoes are added, and then the mixture simmers while the pasta boils. Angel hair pasta is the perfect choice because the thin strands cook quickly. This entree can be on the table in less than 20 minutes.

You could top your pasta with grated Parmesan, but this recipe takes advantage of another convenient product -- grated Italian five-cheese blend. Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce at the end of the cooking time, then pour the sauce and cheese over the drained pasta. Add some bakery garlic bread sticks and a bagged Caesar salad to complete the meal.

Look for ways to substitute canned diced tomatoes in your other recipes. I've combined the Italian variety with a jar of spaghetti sauce for a quick, chunky marinara. They also make a great base for an Italian soup. Just combine one can of Italian-style diced tomatoes with a can of chicken or beef broth, frozen vegetables and cheese tortellini for quick minestrone.

Quick-frozen chicken breasts are another convenient product that I used to prepare today's recipe. They can be found in the freezer section of most supermarkets and are available in larger quantities at Sam's. Each breast is individually frozen, so you can pull out just the number you need.

For today's recipe, I simply took two frozen breasts from the bag to thaw in warm water. They are ready to dice in about the same amount of time it takes to bring the water for the pasta to a boil.

Quick Chicken Pasta

8 ounces angel hair pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, diced

Salt and pepper to taste

2 14.5-ounce diced tomatoes with Italian herbs

1 8-ounce package Italian five-cheese blend

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and stir until chicken is no longer pink -- about 5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low, sprinkle cheese over top of sauce and cover.

Drain the pasta, return to the pot and pour the sauce over top. Toss well to distribute sauce and cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

Karin Calloway is a Web chef for Viking Range Corp. (www.vikingrange.com) and a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. You can write her in care of Newsroom, The Augusta Chronicle, P.O. Box 1928, Augusta, GA 30913. Or send e-mail to karingca@aol.com.