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This Healthy Tuscan Chicken Pasta Recipe has all the flavors of the restaurant version, but without all the calories, sodium, and fat. I love making this recipe in one pot using my Instant Pot.
This is one of my favorite pasta recipes, and it’s great for meal prep because it keeps well in the fridge all week long.
If this chicken recipe sounds good to you, I also recommend trying our Easy Burrito Bowl Recipe, this Simple White Chicken Chili Recipe, or this Chipotle Chicken Copycat Recipe.
Why I Love This Healthier Tuscan Chicken Pasta
I love how easy this recipe is to make in just one pot. The protein boost from the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt is an added bonus!
Enjoy!
– Becca
Ingredients in Tuscan Chicken Pasta
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Chicken Broth: You can make homemade broth or grab some from the store. If buying, make sure to get low sodium.
- Cottage cheese: Cottage cheese is high in many nutrients, including protein, B vitamins, and minerals. Be sure to use low fat, as nonfat will be too runny to set up properly.
- Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt packs twice as much protein and about half the amount of carbs and sugar as regular yogurt. Plain, low-fat Greek yogurt is best for this recipe.
How to make Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Step 1: Set your Instant Pot to sauté and lightly spray the pot with olive oil spray. Once your pot is hot add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and Italian seasonings. Cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Step 2: Add the cubed chicken to the pot, and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often. This will prevent your chicken from clumping together while it’s under pressure. Once the chicken is browned on all sides, add the chicken broth.
Step 3: Add the pasta to the pot and stir well, ensuring that all noodles are below the liquid.
Step 4: Close and lock the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the time for 3 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, blend the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and parmesan cheese together until smooth, then set aside.
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Step 5: When the cook time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
Stir the contents of the pot. Drain any excess liquid from the pot, keeping aside 1/4 cup.
Add the 1/4 cup liquid to the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt mixture and stir well.
Step 6: While the noodles are still hot, stir in spinach and basil.
Once the leaves have wilted, stir in your blended cottage cheese mixture. Then add your cheese.
Serve immediately. Garnish with additional parmesan and fresh basil.
Recipe Tips
- If you don’t have or can’t find sun-dried tomatoes, you can substitute fresh, halved grape tomatoes. For the Instant pot, reduce your cooking liquid by ½ cup when using fresh tomatoes.
- While this recipe tastes best when followed exactly, you can add double the Greek yogurt or cottage cheese if you don’t have one of them on hand.
- Cut your chicken into equal-sized pieces to make sure they are cooked evenly.
- If using gluten free pasta, reduce Instant Pot cook time to 2 minutes.
Tuscan Chicken Pasta FAQs
I like using penne pasta because it soaks up all the creamy goodness in its little holes. I usually go with whole wheat noodles for the extra nutrition. For gluten-free pasta, shorten the cooking time—use about half the time listed on the package, then subtract another 2 minutes.
Traditional creamy Tuscan chicken pasta isn’t the healthiest dish. In this recipe, we focused on healthier ingredients – I swapped the heavy cream for a lighter, high-protein mix of Greek yogurt and cottage cheese. There’s also the added nutrient-packed spinach, whole grain pasta, and lean chicken breast to make this a healthy dinner recipe.
Tuscan sauce usually refers to a rich sauce containing ingredients like parmesan, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach. We’ve kept those essential flavors but, instead of the added cream and butter, we’ve lightened up the dish with healthier ingredients like cottage cheese and Greek yogurt.
I like to pair this pasta dish with vegetables like this Air Fry Frozen Broccoli, this Eggplant Air Fryer Recipe, or these Carrot French Fries.
Healthy Eating Plans
21 Day Fix Containers
For the entire recipe: 2 ½ Green Containers, 10 Red Containers, 12 Yellow Containers, and 2 Blue Containers. I give you the count for the entire recipe so its easier to calculate 21 Day Fix containers if you change something.
For each 1 ½ cup serving: 1/3 Green Container, 1 2/3 Red Containers, 2 Yellow Containers, and 1/3 Blue Containers.
2B Mindset
I would eat this as a healthy lunch with extra vegetables.
If you tried this Healthy Tuscan Chicken Pasta Recipe or any other recipe on my site please leave a rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
Healthy Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta Recipe
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Equipment
- Instant Pot 6 qt
- Sealing Rings
- Vitamix Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes sun dried with no oil or grape tomatoes, halved
- 3 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp garlic minced
- 2 lbs chicken breast (about 2 large breasts, diced into 1-inch cubes)
- 3 cups chicken broth 1 cup only for Crockpot method.
- 3 cups whole wheat pasta I used one 12 oz. box
- ¾ cup cottage cheese 2%
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt 2%
- 2 cups spinach baby
- 2 tbsp basil fresh, or 1 tsp dried basil
- ⅔ cup parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Instant Pot:
- Set your Instant Pot to Sauté and lightly spray the pot with cooking spray. Once your pot is hot, add the sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant. 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes 3 tbsp Italian seasoning 2 tbsp garlic
- Add your cubed chicken to the pot and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Once your chicken is browned on all sides, add your chicken broth. 2 lbs chicken breast 3 cups chicken broth
- Add your pasta to the pot and stir well, ensuring that all noodles are below the liquid. 3 cups whole wheat pasta
- Close and lock the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
- While your chicken is cooking, blend the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and grated parmesan together until smooth (in a blender or food processor), then set aside. ¾ cup cottage cheese ¾ cup Greek yogurt ⅔ cup parmesan cheese
- When the cook time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove the lid. Stir. Drain any excess liquid from the pot, keeping aside 1/4 cup. Add the 1/4 cup liquid to the cottage cheese mixture and stir well.
- While your noodles are still hot, stir in spinach and basil. Once the leaves have wilted, stir in your blended cottage cheese mixture. Serve immediately. Garnish with additional parmesan and fresh basil. 2 cups spinach 2 tbsp basil
Crock Pot:
- Lightly spray a large skillet with cooking oil, then add tomatoes, garlic, Italian herbs, and pepper. Sauté over high heat for 30 seconds or so until it becomes fragrant.
- Add your cubed chicken to the pan and brown for 1-2 minutes until the chicken no longer sticks together.
- Transfer chicken and sun dried tomatoes (all of the contents of the pan) to your crockpot and top with chicken broth. Cook on high heat for 2-3 hours, or low heat for 4-5 hours.
- About 20 minutes before you’d like to eat, boil the pasta in a separate pot according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and add to the Crockpot.
- Drain any excess liquid (set aside 1/4 cup) and add spinach and basil. Stir until spinach is wilted.
- Blend cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and parmesan cheese in a blender until smooth, and add the mixture to the Crockpot.
- Stir the cottage cheese mixture and 1/4 cup pasta water into the contents of the slow cooker.
- Stir one last time and serve immediately with extra parmesan cheese and fresh basil, as desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Make This Recipe?
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Do you think capers would be good in this?
They’d be delicious!
Should there be a lot of liquid left after you cook the chicken and pasta
Nope, there shouldn’t be! Did you use whole grain pasta?
No
That’s why. When an IP recipe calls for a specific type of pasta it’s best to stick with that type or alter the recipe a bit. Whole grain pasta needs more water than other pastas–that’s why there was liquid leftover.
Can I ask if people have found this turns out nicer in crockpot or pressure cooker? Thank you!
I prefer it in the pressure cooker :)
Really good, works well with lentil pasta. Enjoyed by all😊
Ohhh yum!!
Thank you for this recipe!!! I really loved it. Filling and satisfying with great taste.
I used my instapot. I used chicken thigh meat since I had it in freezer and needed to use it up. I found I needed 4 cups stock so that is a carton to have enough liquid. Added a little water. Did use 12 oz pasta. Glad I removed the r oz. From the box that was 16 oz. It would have been too much. I cooked it for 6 min. Then reduced pressure as I found I like pasta more dente than 4 min. Produced. I did the rest same as recipe. I did use 1 Tbsp olive oil to cook the tomato and chicken. 8 servings 4 purple. Next time I will use chicken breast which will be less points .
Hi Becca! Do you rinse sun dried tomatoes that were jarred in oil, or do you start with sun dried tomatoes that are in no liquid at all? Thanks!
We use sun dried tomatoes that aren’t in oil. You could probably rinse them or just dab some of it off but the oil will affect the calorie count somewhat :)
Do we put the chicken and pasta in the insta pot uncooked? Or do we precook?
You’ll want to brown the chicken on saute mode for 1-2 minutes (not cook completely). Once that’s done add the pasta uncooked :)
Looks delicious! I want to make it in my slow cooker and just wanted to clarify- I cook it for 2-3 hours on high and then switch to low for 4-5 hours? Thanks for great recipes!!
Hi Britney,
You can cook in the slow cooker for 2-3 hours on high OR 4-5 hours on low. Thanks for bringing this to my attention; the post wasn’t very clear – I’ll edit it now :)
This was SO GOOD! I can’t wait to try it with a little bit of bacon and maybe some more veggies like broccoli!
Delicious! Easy to make and the ingredients are not exotic. My kids loved it.