Chicken Ratatouille

It's summer, and nothing tastes better than a meal that makes use of fresh veggies. In my crisper drawer, I had 3 different colors of bell peppers, zucchini, and some fresh basil. The idea of pasta with a chunky tomato sauce sounded just right. All of the fresh veggies, mentioned above, plus an onion and 2 garlic cloves were combined with pureed tomatoes and chopped cooked chicken. I served the sauce over ziti and topped it with freshly grated Parmesan. We had a salad of green leaf lettuce, fresh tomato, sliced carrot, sliced cucumber, and sliced radishes. The dressing was my favorite Balsamic Vinaigrette. Super easy, super fresh!

Chicken Ratatouille
1 onion, chopped
Olive oil
1 each red, green, and yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 (28-oz.) can tomatoes (whole, diced, or pureed)
1 lb. chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (Note: I used my slow cooker method to cook the chicken, but instead of tarragon and thyme, I seasoned it with oregano, dried basil, and garlic powder.)
Cooked ziti pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Sauté onion in hot oil 2 minutes. Stir in bell peppers and next 2 ingredients. Sauté for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in salt and next 5 ingredients; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thoroughly heated. Stir in chicken, and cook 5 more minutes. Serve tomato mixture over hot cooked pasta; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.