- HubPages»
- Food and Cooking»
- World Cuisines»
- Southern European Cuisine
Healthier Italian Recipes: Delicious Chicken And Spinach Penne Pasta
CHICKEN PENNE PASTA WITH SPINACH
This is a great recipe that came to me on my email from myrecipes.com a few days ago and being a huge chicken and spinach fan, I just had to try it out.
I unfortunately did not have several of the ingredients it called for but I was able to improvise and make the recipe turn out in spite of that.
This is a delicious variation of Florentine pasta.
Make your own adjustments to it and see if you don't agree....this is a fabulous dinner entree!
Of course, you can revamp this just about any way you want and still end up with a delicious dish. For more ideas, see my suggestions below.
Also be sure and watch the video for another fantastic recipe!
RECIPE FOR CHICKEN PENNE PASTA WITH SPINACH AND CHEESE
INGREDIENTS
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (or use more cooking spray)
- Cooking spray
- 3 cups mushrooms sliced thin
- 1 cup of chopped sweet onion
- 1 cup of chopped mini peppers (red, yellow and orange combined)
- 3 cups of chopped fresh spinach (or use baby spinach)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or use 1 teaspoon dried)
- Black pepper to taste
- 2 cups of non-fat cottage cheese
- 4 cups hot cooked wheat penne pasta (8 ounces uncooked)
- 2 cups shredded grilled or roasted chicken breast shredded
- 3/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup non-fat milk
- 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can reduced fat, low sodium cream of chicken soup
- 1/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Heat olive oil or cooking spray in large skillet over medium high and add mushrooms, onion and peppers. Saute for about 4 minutes or until tender. Add oregano, spinach and pepper. Cook 3 minutes more or until the spinach begins to wilt in the pan.
- Mix cottage cheese in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- Stir together the cottage cheese mixture, the spinach mixture, chicken, pasta, 3/4 cup of cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Add milk and soup and combine all to mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole.
- Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and the 1/4 cup remaining Parmesan. Add some fresh spinach leaves as well.
- Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes until lightly browned and bubbling.
Serves 8 - Serve with a tossed green salad and a crusty loaf of Italian bread.
MAKING HEALTHIER ITALIAN DISHES
This is definitely a keeper when it comes to healthier Italian recipes. It reminds you of a good mac and cheese but cranks it up a notch by substituting wheat penne pasta as I did and lightening up the milk and cottage cheese.
Try this many different ways such as
- Substitute different Italian cheeses for the cheddar
- Use ricotta instead of cottage cheese
- Use a different mushroom
- Try red peppers exclusively as the recipe calls for
- Substitute a different kind of pasta noodle - the sky's the limit on that
- Try a different meat or even go meatless
- Add some fresh basil and tomatoes for a delicious change
- Substitute a different soup such as cream of mushroom or asparagus
- Use something other than the can of soup as the 'base' or thickener
In short, you can do just about anything with this variation on mac and cheese and have a delicious yet easy meal. Prep the ingredients ahead of time and it really goes quickly!
This dish is also fabulous as leftovers for lunch! The original recipe calculated this out to be 345 calories but I'm sure my version is much less.
More Cooking Hubs by Audrey Kirchner
- Healthy Recipes: French Toast Waffles
If you are like me, you probably enjoy French toast from time to time - and you probably also love waffles. Who could resist? Both these breakfast delights are popular for the breakfast and brunch crowd,... - Breadmaking Techniques: Dough Mixing And Mixer Knead...
A lot of people ask me how I have time to bake bread and rolls. To be honest, if I had not discovered how to use my mixer to knead the dough for me, I probably would have called it quits. I have a lot of... - How To Make Sliders: Great Recipe For Homemade Slide...
I have been trying bread recipes for a long while now but I especially wanted a recipe I could use without fail for tiny slider rolls. I'm hooked on sliders because they are so easy to make up for a party in... - Best Wheat Bread Recipes: How To Make Whole Wheat Fr...
I recently did a recipe on French bread but I have since adapted that and this is the recipe I am sticking to as I love being able to combine whole wheat flour with it. I had to tweak it a bit from the... - Best Comfort Food Recipes: Beef Stew Recipe For The ...
At this time of year, soups and stews are a must for me because I love the ability to add so many good-for-you vegetables and enjoy the delicate aromas that slow-cooking lend the house. Nothing feels better... - Culinary Techniques For Soups: Making Stocks, Soups,...
When you think about cooking techniques, it can be a puzzle trying to figure out what's the difference between stocks, soups, stews, and chowders. Culinary basics let's us explore various preparation methods... - Culinary Techniques: Great Tips On How To Thicken So...
Cooking and wanting to have things turn out perfectly is just natural. It can really be upsetting, however, when you are 'cooking right along' let's say making your soup or sauce and you find that it is not... - Healthy Cooking Techniques: How To Make Your Own Hom...
This is something I've been doing since our kids were growing up and I still continue to do this. To be honest, I have never liked the taste of processed lunch meat, even all the so-called chemical and... - Make Your Own Potato Chips: Recipe For How To Make Y...
For most of us who are on a diet, potato chips would seem a prohibitive addition to our daily intake. However, these potato chips are an incredible way to cut calories and still feel like you are 'indulging' a... - Tarragon Chicken - Quick and Easy Dinner Idea
Tarragon Chicken is actually a French dish and is really called Poulet a lEstragon. If that's too much of a mouthful, then just call it Tarragon Chicken! This is one of my favorite recipes to make for... - Best Homemade Pie Recipes: Great Light Coconut Cream...
HOW TO MAKE A FABULOUS COCONUT CREAM PIE I love coconut cream pie but I hate all the calories and all the fat. Therefore, when I saw this recipe in Cooking Light magazine recently, I just had to see if it... - How To Make Filled Pancakes: Danish Ebelskiver Recip...
Oh my - where have these little filled pancakes been all my life? Ebelskiver is a Danish filled pancake and I suppose it is best that I never heard of them before I recently received a Williams and Sonoma... - Rodgrod Danish Berry Pudding Dessert Recipe
One of the few things that my grandmother made for dessert when I was growing up was what she called Danish pudding. Since she was Danish, it was somehow appropriate! However, she did not know how to make... - Quick And Easy Recipe: Phyllo Dough Pizza Recipe For...
If you're looking for a quick and easy recipe for dinner, lunch or snacks, this pizza recipe for vegetable pizza will make your day! I made up this recipe the other night when I was in a hurry to make... - Healthy Pizza Recipes: Filo Or Phyllo Dough Pizza Wi...
Another marvelous way to cut calories and make your own pizza! Phyllo (filo , fillo ) dough pizza is very easy to make and this is but one idea for ingredients. Phyllo dough is found in the freezer section... - The Best Pizza in Chicago and Possibly the World - T...
It's a hot issue--some might say piping hot--the issue is where the biggest and best pizza in the world is. Here is the definitive answer... - Healthy Pizza Recipes: How To Make Greek Style Pizza...
This is a great snack recipe for watching World Cup Soccer or a championship basketball game! It is also great as a light dinner or for lunch. Greek Pizza actually refers to 2 different things - the...
