Dinner for 5

Fajita Style Pasta

Name: Fajita Style Pasta
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 large skinless chicken breasts cut into strips; 1 onion thinly sliced; 1 red pepper deseeded and sliced; 1 yellow pepper deseeded and sliced; 1 clove garlic crushed; 1/4 tsp chilli powder; 1 heaped tsp sweet smoked paprika; 1/2 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 3 tbsp tomato purée; 80 ml double cream; 350 g penne or rigatoni pasta; 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley finely chopped; grated parmesan or cheddar

$9.17for 435 minServes 5

Chicken, peppers, and onions cook with spices and tomato cream before being tossed with penne pasta.

Photo: bbcgoodfood.com

What it costs

Pick your city to see which ingredients are on sale

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
	Chicken breast, 1.25 lb$3.49/lb typical	1.25 lb	$4.36Typical price
	Onions, 0.4 lb$1.29/lb typical	0.4 lb	$0.52Typical price
	Bell peppers, 0.75 lb$2.49/lb typical	0.75 lb	$1.87Typical price
	Garlic, a little$0.75 each typical	a little	$0.08Typical price
	Tomato paste and sauce, 1.5 oz$0.10/oz typical	1.5 oz	$0.16Typical price
	Heavy cream, 2.75 oz$0.22/oz typical	2.75 oz	$0.62Typical price
	Pasta, 12 oz$0.10/oz typical	12 oz	$1.23Typical price
	Fresh herbs (cilantro, 0.5$1.49 each typical	0.5	$0.74Typical price
	Parmesan, 0.5 oz$0.55/oz typical	0.5 oz	$0.28Typical price
Total for the servings shown		$11.47

Swaps

Swap chicken breast for chicken thighsabout $1.20/lb less at typical prices
Swap onions for red onionsabout $0.20/lb more at typical prices
Swap heavy cream for evaporatedabout $0.08/oz less at typical prices
Swap pasta for egg noodlesabout $0.04/oz more at typical prices

Pantry staples you likely have

Olive and cooking oilDried spices (cumin, paprika, chili powder, oregano)Dried herbs, spices and seasoning blends

Not included in the cost.

35 minstart to table
Mediumdifficulty
5servings as written
$$typical cost tier

Mexican Kid-friendly Budget Family Dinners

Typical price

$2.29 per serving$9.17 for 4

City Store

Typical price: Salefork's estimate of an everyday US shelf price for each ingredient. Pick your city to price it from this week's ad.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 large skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
1 onion thinly sliced
1 red pepper deseeded and sliced
1 yellow pepper deseeded and sliced
1 clove garlic crushed
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1 heaped tsp sweet smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp tomato purée
80 ml double cream
350 g penne or rigatoni pasta
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
grated parmesan or cheddar

Steps

Boil the pasta in salted water according to the package directions, reserve 1 cup cooking water, and drain it.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the chicken strips for 6 to 8 minutes until they reach 165 F.
Add the onion, red pepper, yellow pepper, and garlic, then cook for 5 minutes until softened.
Stir in the chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, coriander, cumin, and tomato purée, then cook for 2 minutes.
Add the cream and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water, then simmer for 3 minutes.
Toss in the pasta and parsley, add more pasta water if needed, and stir in the grated parmesan or cheddar.

Main ingredient on sale this week? See what to make with chicken breast, boneless on sale.