Recipes worth gathering for — a little messy, very delicious.

Some recipes stick with you — not just because they taste good, but because of where they take you.

Mamma’s Pasta is inspired by a dish I used to serve during my college waitressing days. It was one of those orders that hit the table and immediately turned heads — creamy, comforting, bright with lemon, and always cleaned clean. Years later, I still find myself craving those flavors, so I brought it into my own kitchen and made it ours.

This version is everything I remember and more: tender grilled chicken, fresh broccoli, and pasta tossed in a creamy lemon pepper garlic sauce that’s rich without feeling heavy. The lemon keeps it fresh, the garlic brings the warmth, and the sauce clings to every bite in the best possible way.

It’s the kind of meal that feels a little nostalgic and a little indulgent — perfect for a family dinner, a casual gathering with friends, or a night when you want something comforting but still bright.

Serve it with crusty bread, pour a glass of something crisp, and let everyone go back for seconds. Around here, that’s always the sign of a keeper.

A little messy. Very delicious. Just like the best memories.

Mamas Pasta

Chicken, broccoli and pasta in a lemon pepper cream sauce.

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Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  

• 3 boneless chicken breast grilled
• 3 crowns broccoli trimmed
• 7 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 4 lemons
• 1/4 stick butter
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1 block Asiago cheese
• 1 box pasta
• 2 tsp ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper

Instructions

 

Marinate the Chicken

• 3 Boneless Chicken Breasts trimmed and cut thin
• Marinate with 1/4 cup Olive Oil, 3 pressed Garlic Cloves, Juice of 1 Lemon, Salt and Pepper

Prepare and Ready Ingredients

• Grill the marinated chicken and cut into small, bite sized pieces (cover to keep warm)
• Cook the pasta el-dente (reserve 1 cup of the water from the pasta before draining for the sauce)
• Trim, wash, and snap the broccoli so each piece is bite sized

Make The Sauce

• In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt 1/4 stick of butter in pan, press 4 cloves of garlic into pan and heavily brown, add ground pepper as it’s browning.
• Add 1/4 cup olive oil, stir, add a salt and pepper, stir.
• Add Juice of 3 lemons, stir, cook for 5 minutes.
• Add a little bit of the heavy cream and whisk until blended then add the remaining heaving cream, whisk until blended, add nutmeg and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add 3/4 cup of the pasta water, whisk until blended.
• Grate Asiago cheese into the sauce and melt until smooth (about 10 minutes). Taste test! More lemon? Need to add a tiny bit of sugar? More Salt? Pepper? Nutmeg? Pasta Water? Cheese? I will typically add a bit more water, cheese, salt and pepper. Once the sauce tastes great:

Put it all Together

• Once the sauce is ready in the saute pan, add 1/2 of the pasta, stir and heat, add the chicken, stir and heat, add another 1/4 of pasta, finally add the broccoli. Continuously stir to evenly heat up the entire meal. It’s ready when everything is sauce covered and the broccoli is nice and crisp but cooked.
• Add a lid if needed to help heat it all up – just be careful not to overcook the broccoli, no one likes limp broccoli 🙂

Serve

• Serve onto plates directly from pan or serve in a big bowl.

Keyword brocolli, chicken, one pan, pasta