Having a busy schedule with barely enough time to prepare your own food can often mean consuming a considerable amount of takeout and delivery meals. While these are a nice treat now and then, constantly ordering in or eating out, even with its convenience, can become repetitive, costly, and unhealthy. I used to fall victim to this a lot back in the day, but I’ve found a few solutions, pasta included.

Pasta dishes can be a quick and easy way to accomplish all of the day’s work and still have a hearty, home-cooked meal. My cooking times usually range from 15 minutes to 30 minutes maximum. Dry pasta is also a staple in many pantries and can be used with a variety of sauces (tomato, cream, or oil) and other common ingredients, so it’s very flexible. Sometimes, I like to follow classic recipes. Other times, I prefer to invent new ones using ingredients I personally love (or I get creative and use whatever’s available at home). There really are countless possibilities when using pasta, so I hope you keep it in mind when going through some busy weeks and months.

For this recipe, I used only staple ingredients. Feel free to use substitutes if you’re lacking any of the listed items below.

Yield: 2–3 servings

Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 200 grams linguine pasta
• 1 large chicken breast fillet, sliced into bite-sized pieces
• salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika for seasoning
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 of a medium-sized onion, sliced
• 1/4 cup canned mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup grated Quickmelt cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving

Instructions:

1. Cook the pasta according to instructions and set aside.
2. Season your chicken breast cubes with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika.
3. In a pan, heat the olive oil.
4. Sauté the garlic and onion until fragrant.
5. Add the chicken and cook thoroughly.
6. Add the mushrooms and sauté for a couple more minutes.
7. Add the tomato paste and mix.
8. Pour the milk and mix thoroughly until completely blended with the tomato paste.
9. Add the Italian seasoning and mix.
10. Add the cheeses and mix until completely blended. If you find the sauce too thick, you can add some more milk.
11. Taste and season to your liking.
12. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and carefully mix until all of the pasta is covered with the sauce.
13. Plate the pasta and top with cracked pepper and more grated parmesan.
14. Serve and enjoy!

This one took me less than 30 minutes to make. If you’re really pressed for time, you can simplify the recipe further by removing or reducing some elements. For example, if you prefer not to prep the chicken, then the mushrooms will do just fine (or perhaps some leftover proteins you have in the fridge).

I hope to share more of my quick pasta recipes here to give you more ideas. In the meantime, enjoy cooking and eating!