Grilled Chicken & Vegetable Tortellini

This is a Southern Living recipe that combines 2 things I love: Pesto & Tortellini.

I modified the original recipe to be smaller and a little more healthy (the original would have been enough to feed 6-8 people).

Note: In the pictures you'll see I used mushrooms. Don't do that. I had some in the refrigerator that needed to be used up so I tossed them in. Not so good.


Ingredients:

• 1 medium zucchini, sliced
  
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
  
• 2 tablespoons Light Italian dressing
  
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground Italian herb seasoning
• 2 teaspoons EVOO
  
• 1/2 (19-oz.) package frozen cheese-filled tortellini
• 1/2 (7-oz.) container refrigerated reduced-fat pesto
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• Garnish: grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium heat.

1. Marinate chicken breast in a Ziploc bag with Italian dressing for at least 30 minutes. Remove & season with 1/2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning.

2. Toss zucchini with EVOO and season with 1/2 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning. Place in grill basket or thread onto skewers.

3. Grill zucchini and chicken at the same time, covered with grill lid. Grill zucchini 7 -10 minutes, stirring (or flipping) once. Grill chicken 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from grill; let stand 5 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, prepare half a package of tortellini according to package directions.

5. Coarsely chop chicken. Toss tortellini with half a container of pesto, tomatoes, chicken, and zucchini.

6. Garnish, if desired and serve immediately.

My Tid-Bits:

* Per Southern Living's recommendation, I used the McCormick Italian Herb Seasoning Grinder. Excellent choice! It can be found in the spice aisle with the salt & pepper grinders.

* You may notice I show two chicken breasts in the photo. I grilled both and used one for this meal and the other for fajitas the next night. I shredded the second chicken breast, tossed it in a pan with some bell peppers, onions & a splash of chicken broth and let it all cook down for my fajita filling. Delicious & easy.

* If you make the recipe as it is above, you'll have enough for 3 or 4 servings depending on what you serve on the side & how much your family eats.

* And here's the most surprising part (at least for me)...when I typed this recipe into my handy little nutritional calculator, it turns out that each serving (if this is a 3 serving recipe) has only 385 calories. It's a little high on the fat side with 20g, but that's what makes it tasty.

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