This meal has all the taste of the famous Cock-a-leekie soup--with plenty of leeks and chicken--but in a one-pot pasta dinner. The dish is loaded with vegetables and reasonably inexpensive to make. Mild-tasting, the comfort-food-type dish is easy to put together with leftover chicken or turkey. Either work well. I also add a little bacon to the pasta for extra flavor, but the bacon isn't necessary. The recipe makes enough for dinner and extra lunches. Enjoy!
Cock-a-leekie Pasta -- Serves 4+
2 tablespoons of canola oil
1 medium leek, 12-14-inches long or so, cleaned and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup of shredded or finely chopped carrot
1/2 teaspoon of salt, plus extra to taste
1/4 teaspoon of pepper, plus extra to taste
2-4 tablespoons of cooked bacon crumbles
1/3 cup of white wine (leftover is fine or just leave it out, life will go on)
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
8 ounces of cooked fettuccine plus 1 1/2 - 2 cups of the cooking liquid
1 1/2 - 2 cups of chopped cooked chicken (or turkey)
1 cup of shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup of sour cream (light is fine)
In a large skillet or chef's pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add the leek, onion, carrot, and salt and pepper. Saute the vegetables for about 10 minutes or until they soften. Stir in the bacon , the wine, and the garlic powder. Turn down the heat to medium-low and add the fettuccine to the pan. Stir in enough of the pasta cooking water to form a light sauce. Stir in the chopped chicken and the the cheese until the chicken is hot and the cheese melts. Turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream. Taste the pasta and add a little more salt/pepper, if you like.
