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