Creamy chicken basil pasta is an easy pasta dinner with chunks of chicken, simple vegetables all in a creamy sauce you can make in minutes. A low calorie meal that will please the entire family. Dinner's ready in under 30 minutes.
I have previously confessed my work-in-progress time management skills. Sometimes I get busy doing things right before dinner time. Unfortunately, once my stomach starts growling I am already in trouble. I am going to either snack until I come up with something or talk myself into heading out to a restaurant. For moments like these I have a few quick meals that can be made from ingredients I almost always have on hand.
Recently, we had a near hangry situation after a long afternoon of errand running. By the time we finished running around naps had been skipped, tummies were rumbling, and our resolve to eat healthily was tissue thin. On the drive home I began a mentally scanning my pantry and refrigerator for ingredient combinations.
Once at home I didn't even take my jacket off before beginning to pull the meal together. Before Mr. Second Helpings finished unloading our purchases from the car I had a pot of salted water heating for the pasta and my chicken thighs sliced and ready to go into the warming sauté pan.
Less than 30 minutes after walking through the door we sat down to a complete hot meal. The sauce was thick and creamy with a mild basil flavor. A generous helping of vegetables lent the dish additional texture and tummy filling volume. It was so good we all agreed it should join the regular collection of go-to meals. We think you'll agree.
One-Pan Creamy Chicken Basil Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pounds boneless-skinless chicken thighs
- 8 oz whole grain pasta
- Kosher or sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 can Progresso Recipe Starters Cooking Sauce: Creamy Parmesan Basil
- 1 cup 8 oz non-fat Greek yogurt, plain
- ⅓ cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil loosely packed
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Fill your pasta pot with water and add a few generous pinches of salt. Cover and bring the water to a boil.
- Slice the uncooked chicken into bite sized chunks, around 2x2 inches each. Brown the chicken pieces in a large sauté non-stick pan over medium high heat. If needed add a few tablespoons of water to keep the chicken from sticking to the pan.
- Once the pasta water has begun to boil add the pasta and cook for 2 -3 minutes less than the instructions on the box.
- When the chicken has cooked though toss the chicken with the garlic and pour over the Progresso Recipe Starter. Simmer for 3 - 4 minutes then reduce the heat to low and stir in the yogurt. Add the pasta and let everything simmer together for 5 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and most of the basil, reserve a few pinches.
- Let the finished pasta dish rest for 5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. Finish with cracked black pepper and the remaining basil, serve immediately.
Notes
Approximate nutrition per serving: 385 calories, 12 g fat, 515 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 31 g protein, PP= 10
Loretta
Rose, this sounc=ds delicious. For the vegetarians among us, note that using whole grain noodles and adding beans of any sort, like green beans as a generous part of the added veggies makes a complete protein without the chicken -- not to mention the added dairy. Thirty minutes can't be beat, and cooking vegetarian is so often labor intensive making sure you are including enough of this or that without always relying on the calorific cheese.
Hope to meet you at the family BBQ on July 13 at Spanaway Lake! (Ask your Father-in-law).