Spicy Chicken Pasta

Last night I made another quick and easy dinner. The only problem with this recipe is that it is in the "cooking for one" category--meaning it makes a small amount, and you will need to modify the quantities if you are preparing it for a family. I didn't realize this until after I started assembling my ingredients. I saw that I did not have enough tomatoes in my fridge, so I just used a can of petite diced tomatoes instead. I also didn't increase the spinach by much. All I had on hand was about half a bag. I still felt like that was enough. Bottom line, I think the quantities are pretty flexible. Be careful about the red-pepper flakes. . . scratch that.

Red pepper flakes?? I just realized that I used ground red pepper--1/2 teaspoon to be exact. Now I'm curious. Surely the ground red pepper would deliver more of a kick than the flakes, right? I did feel like it was probably a little too spicy for the boys and me. Todd took a few bites and said, "Oh. This is kind of spicy, isn't it?" To which Brett replied (while sprinkling some Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning for more of a kick), "Spicy? What spice?" My lips were tingling a little and I discreetly told Brett to back off on the spice comments before Ryan decided it wasn't even worth trying. In the end, we all ate and enjoyed our spicy pasta. However, you may want to add your red pepper (ground or flakes) to taste.

Spicy Chicken Pasta [cooking for one]
Source: Everyday Food

coarse salt
1/2 cup penne rigate (ridged) or other short pasta
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 plum tomato, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
3 cups baby spinach (3 ounces)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook penne until al dente, adding chicken during last 2 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water. Drain pasta and chicken; return to pot.
2. To pot, add tomato, tomato paste, garlic, oil, red-pepper flakes, and spinach; season with salt. Cook over medium, tossing, until spinach is barely wilted, about 1 minute. Remove pot from heat; stir in lemon juice and enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats pasta. Season with salt, if necessary, and serve immediately.