Thursday, January 21, 2010

Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Pasta



This is going to sound surprising to you. Brace yourself. And if you know me in real life this will REALLY shock you. I haven't gone out for Italian food in a couple months. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! I can't! Italian is my love. It's my favorite to cook and certainly my favorite to eat. However, I have been on a real sushi kick and we have so many wonderful sushi restaurants and Asian Bistro's near our house that we normally end up doing that. But don't worry... I am still getting a healthy dose of pasta in at home.

This recipe jumped out at me immediately. I wanted to make something creamy and hearty but not something laden with calories and fat. Enter this recipe. I modified in a bit to make it lighter and I am so glad I did. John loved it. I liked it but I wouldn't say I looooved it. I am not huge on cream sauces (although John is, hence why he loved this!) so I am sure that factored into it. If you love creamy pasta but don't love the affect it has on your weight and health goals try out this pasta dish- it's really quite tasty. I added some red pepper flakes to give it some kick and really enjoyed that addition. If you don't like spicy food just leave them out!

Source: Adapted from Evil Shenanigans

Ingredients:
8 ounces pasta
1 cup mushrooms, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 cup broccoli, cooked and set aside
1 1/3 cup 1% milk
1 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. light cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup cooked chicken breast, diced and set aside
Cooking spray
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
1- Cook the pasta and set aside, keeping warm.
2- Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add the onions and mushrooms, stirring occasionally. Cook until soft.
3- Add the garlic, stir well, cook for about 30 seconds.
4- Add the flour, stirring it into the veggies. Pour in the milk and whisk continually until well combined.
5- Cook until it thickens, about 10 minutes. Once it thickens add the salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat, stir in the cream cheese. Continue stirring until well combined.
6- Add the parmesan cheese, stirring until combined.
7- Add the red pepper flakes, chicken, pasta, and broccoli to the skillet. Allow to heat over low heat until all ingredients are hot.

** 7 points for 1/4 of the recipe

2 comments:

  1. This looks delicious - and I love that it's healthy!

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  2. I've made this twice...and it is SO good! This is such a good recipe, thanks for posting it!

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