You’ve had a long day. All you want to do is collapse in a chair and be served dinner. But you’re on a budget and trying to eat healthy meals, so you prefer eating at home instead of a restaurant. What a dilemma.
Sound familiar? Been there, done that. So I keep a few speedy-to-the-table meals in my cooking arsenal, including Hasty Tasty Spinach-Chicken Pasta. This one uses leftover, cooked chicken (but you could substitute other cooked meats or chopped Portobello mushrooms) and a package of triple-washed spinach. I also use a jar of light Alfredo sauce from my pantry (I stock up when my local grocer has a BOGO–Buy-One-Get-One-free). My recipe serves two, but you could easily double it. It’s thirty minutes, max, until you’re sitting down to enjoy your meal.
Even with the prepared sauce, this meal is fairly light and packed with nutrition. Don’t feel guilty for using prepared sauce when you’re eating almost two servings of iron- and fiber-rich spinach. Busy schedules call for compromise.
Note: For this recipe I used my Fasta Pasta microwave oven cooker to prepare the farfalle while I made the dish using my 12″ Gourmet electric skillet (by Kitchencraft). Use whatever cookware works best for you.
RECIPE
HASTY TASTY SPINACH-CHICKEN PASTA
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces (1 serving) dried bowtie (Farfalle) or shell pasta
- 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
- 1 package (3-4 servings) spinach salad mix, washed and ready to eat
- Kosher salt
- 1 jar prepared Alfredo sauce, your choice.
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 clove garlic, grated or pressed
- 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Cook pasta in a separate pan or in a microwave oven pasta cooker until al dente. Salt generously.
- In a large covered skillet or electric skillet, wilt fresh spinach over low heat (225°F)
- Add the cooked chicken, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the jar of Alfredo sauce, stir, and cover. Heat through 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in cooked pasta, season with the grated garlic and nutmeg. Turn off heat.
- Divide and serve, garnished with Parmesan cheese.Enjoy.
Tip: Cooking for one? Leftovers taste great cold, too. Save half to take for lunch.
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