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This healthy Tuscan Chicken Pasta is a popular menu item at the Cheesecake Factory and Olive Garden. It’s a decadent pasta dish loaded with Italian flavors. My copycat recipe adds a healthy twist to this classic meal.
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta has all the flavors of the restaurant version, without all the calories, sodium, and fat. I love making this recipe in one pot using my Instant Pot, but it can also be made in the Crock Pot or right on the stove.
This is one of my favorite healthy pasta recipes, and it’s great for meal prep because it keeps well in the fridge for the week and it freezes and reheats well.
Where’s the recipe?
To better serve all of my readers here at My Crazy Good Life, I’ve made a commitment to put a ton of helpful information in all of my posts that everyone, regardless of cooking skills, can make these recipes.
If you’d like to skip over the detailed instructions, information about freezing, swapping ingredients, and diet information, please simply scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will find the easy to print Tuscan Chicken Pasta recipe.
Ingredients in Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Sun-dried tomatoes: You can find these sweet gems in your produce section. They are usually in a bag or jar. Be sure and grab the kind that does not contain oil. If you have trouble finding them, you can substitute with fresh grape tomatoes or roasted red peppers.
- Italian Seasoning: This is a space saver for your pantry. A variety of basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, and thyme all combined in one bottle.
- Garlic: Did you know that in Northern Italian cooking they don’t use garlic? Fresh minced garlic is only used in in Southern and Tuscan cuisine.
- Chicken: Cut your chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes or ½ inch thick strips to promote quick and even cooking.
- Chicken Broth: You can make your own or grab some from the store. If buying, make sure to get low sodium.
- Pasta: I use whole wheat noodles, but you can easily swap this for a gluten free noodle but be sure to reduce the cooking time (I use the rule of half the cooking time on the package minus 2 minutes). If using regular pasta, drain the extra water after
- Cottage Cheese: Be sure and grab 2% cottage cheese. It will help lower the saturated fat and calories without over-processing, like in the fat-free varieties.
- Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt is a great source of protein, probiotics, and calcium. It works well as a substitute for sour cream and cream cheese in pasta dishes.
- Spinach: An excellent source of Vitamins A, C, and K, and full of fiber, calcium, and iron.
- Basil: Popular in cuisine worldwide for its sweet aromatic flavor. You can also use dried in this recipe, if you don’t have fresh handy. Just reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon.
- Parmesan Cheese: I love grabbing a wedge of fresh parmesan and grating it myself. The light nuttiness ties this recipe together perfectly.
How to make Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- 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, Italian seasonings. Cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add your cut 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 your chicken is browned on all sides add your chicken broth.
- Add your pasta to the pot and stir well, ensuring that all noodles are below the liquid.
- Close and lock the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the time for 3 minutes.
- While your chicken is cooking, blend the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt together until smooth, then set aside.
- When the cook time is complete, quick Release the pressure, and remove the lid. Stir. Drain any excess liquid from the pot.
- While your noodles are still hot stir in spinach, and basil. Once the leaves have wilted, stir in your blended cottage cheese, and grated parmesan. Serve immediately. Garnish with additional parmesan and fresh basil.
How to make Crockpot Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Spay a large skillet with cooking spray. Over medium/high heat, sauté the sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and garlic until fragrant.
- Next, add your cubed chicken and sauté until browned on all sides.
- Transfer chicken and sun dried tomatoes to your crockpot and top with chicken broth.
- Cook on high heat for 2-3 hours, or low heat for 4-5 hours.
- Add your pasta during the last 30 minutes of cook time. You could also boil these separately and add them to the slow cooker if you’d like them cooked faster.
- Blend the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt (in a blender or food processor) until smooth and set aside.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain the extra liquid from the slow cooker and add in spinach and basil, then stir until wilted.
- Stir the cottage cheese mixture into the contents of the slow cooker.
- Finally, add your parmesan cheese. Stir one last time and serve immediately with extra cheese and fresh basil, as desired.
How to make Stovetop Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Spay a large skillet/pot with cooking spray. Over medium/high heat, sauté the sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and garlic until fragrant.
- Next, add cubed chicken and sauté until browned on all sides.
- Add chicken broth and noodles to the pot.
- Once the broth begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium. Boil 12-15 minutes, stirring often to avoid clumping.
- Once pasta is cooked, drain excess liquid. Add in the spinach and basil, then stir until wilted.
- Blend cottage cheese and Greek yogurt (in a blender or food processor) until smooth, then stir into your noodles.
- Finally, add your parmesan cheese. Stir one last time and serve immediately with extra cheese and fresh basil, as desired.
Recipe Tips
- You can substitute fresh, halved grape tomatoes in place of sun-dried tomatoes. Reduce your cooking liquid by ½ cup when using fresh tomatoes.
- While this recipe tastes best when followed exactly, you can add more Greek yogurt or more cottage cheese if you don’t have one of them.
- Cut your chicken into equal-sized pieces to make sure they are cooked evenly.
- Add more spinach and tomatoes to increase your vegetables per serving, or add a salad as a side dish.
- I don’t typically add salt to my recipes so that you can add salt and pepper to your taste and dietary needs.
- If using crockpot or stovetop cooking method, start with 1 cup of water and slowly add more if needed to keep the recipe from becoming watery. *This amount will change if not using whole wheat pasta*
- If using gluten free pasta, reduce Instant Pot cook time to 2 minutes.
Healthy Eating Plans
- 21 Day Fix: For the entire 21 Day Fix Tuscan Chicken pasta 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 re-calculate the 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.
- Weight Watchers: For WW recipe and points information see this post: https://mycrazygoodlife.com/weight-watchers-tuscan-chicken-pasta/
More healthy Instant Pot recipes
More Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
- Cajun Chicken Alfredo
- Philly Cheesesteak Pasta with Chicken
- Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Instant Pot Pad Thai with Tofu
- Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
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Healthy Tuscan Chicken Pasta Recipe
Approximate Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
Servings 6
This healthy Tuscan Chicken Pasta recipe will satisfy your craving for creamy pasta without the calories! It's an easy healthy chicken recipe that your family will love, and you can cook it in your Instant Pot, slow cooker, or on the stove.
Equipment
- Instant Pot 6 qt
- Sealing Rings
- Vitamix Blender
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes sun dried with no oil or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 2 lbs chicken breast (about 2 large breasts, diced into 1-inch cubes)
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth low sodium
- 3 cups whole wheat pasta I used one 12 oz. box
- ¾ cup cottage cheese 2%
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt 2%
- 2 cups spinach baby
- ¼ cup basil fresh, or 1 tsp dried basil
- ⅔ cup cheese parmesan
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. 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes 1 tbsp Italian seasoning 1 tbsp garlic
- Add your 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 your chicken is browned on all sides, add your chicken broth. 2 lbs chicken breast 3 cups low sodium 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. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the time for 3 minutes.
- While your chicken is cooking, blend the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt together until smooth (in a blender or food processor), then set aside. ¾ cup cottage cheese ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
- When the cook time is complete, quick release the pressure, and remove the lid. Stir. Drain any excess liquid from the pot.
- While your noodles are still hot, stir in spinach and basil. Once the leaves have wilted, stir in your blended cottage cheese and grated parmesan. Serve immediately. Garnish with additional parmesan and fresh basil. 2 cups spinach ¼ cup basil ⅔ cup cheese
Video
Notes
*For stovetop/crockpot directions, please see original post
Recipe Tips:
- You can substitute fresh, halved grape tomatoes in place of sun-dried tomatoes. Reduce your cooking liquid by ½ cup when using fresh tomatoes.
- While this recipe tastes best when followed exactly, you can add more Greek yogurt or more cottage cheese if you don’t have one of them.
- Cut your chicken into equal-sized pieces to make sure they are cooked evenly.
- Add more spinach and tomatoes to increase your vegetables per serving, or add a salad as a side dish.
- I don’t typically add salt to my recipes so that you can add salt and pepper to your taste and dietary needs.
- If using crockpot or stovetop cooking method, start with 1 cup of water and slowly add more if needed to keep the recipe from becoming watery. *This amount will change if not using whole wheat pasta*
- If using gluten free pasta, reduce Instant Pot cook time to 2 minutes.
- 21 Day Fix: For the entire recipe: 2 ½ Green Containers, 10 Red Containers, 12 Yellow Containers, and 2 Blue Containers. 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 467kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 318mg | Potassium: 673mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1371IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 201mg | Iron: 3mg
Make This Recipe?
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Looks awesome. I want to try this with Gluten Free pasta- you said to reduce cooking time by 2 minutes – does this apply to the Instant Pot recipe – meaning that after it comes to pressure – I should only do 1 minute of cooking before quick release?
Mary, for the most accurate cooking time, I’d take the cooking time on the package, divide it in half and then subtract 2 minutes. :) Remember, you can always add more cooking time but you can’t do anything once you overcook the pasta, so I’d err on the side of undercooked :)
I want to be sure I do this right! The pasta is added into the crockpot uncooked, correct? I want to be sure I don’t need to cook them first!
If you’re adding the pasta for the last 30 minutes, it goes in uncooked. You can cook it first if you’d like, and I’d add it right before serving at that point.
Made the stovetop version – SO good. Made with chickpea pasta for even more health benefits. The only thing is, the recipe says to only use 1 cup water on stovetop, but in my experience you do need 3. This is also just as great reheated, which I was worried about!
Thanks for your feedback on this, Jaimie! I love chickpea pasta too! <3
What would you recommend for the dairy free recipe substitutions?
I’ve made this before just leaving out the dairy and I love it. You could also use dairy free yogurt, but I struggle to find unflavored. I highly recommend leaving the dairy out and seeing how you like it!
Sounds great, I will try without the dairy! Thanks!
Hey! I don’t eat meat so I was curious if this would be good with smoked salmon, shrimp, or even without a protein added to it. Has anyone tried someting different?
If you do salmon or shrimp I’d add it cooked at the end:)
Hi Meagan,
I am vegetarian and whenever a recipe calls for chicken I use homemade seitan. This is sometimes known as wheat meat and there are lots of recipes on the web to make it. There’s also recipes to make it in the Instant Pot. I have done this several times with Becca’s recipes and never had a problem. 😊
Easy and delicious. Great recipe!
thank you
I’m on the fixate plan B how much can I have for a serving ?
Hi Shawn! The serving size is right in the printable recipe and under Healthy Eating Plans in the post– 1 1/2 cups :)
So I actually cook the pasta in the same pot that the chicken is still in right?
Yes :)
Could you use frozen spinach in place of fresh? That is what I have on hand.
You can! I’d microwave it first to avoid adding extra liquid to the recipe :)
I am in NEED of HELP!!
I have recently started BeachBody and the 21 Day fix. I make a lot of recipes, like these, and have no idea how to figure the container portions when I do. I also eat frozen meals at work sometimes. Do you measure by % or grams of protein, carbs, fat etc? I really need some guidance!!
For instance this morning I stopped at Sonic and got a sausage egg and cheese toaster no bread. I then entered that in MyFitnessPal to get the nutritional facts. It shows protein at 15g or 15% of my daily goal (This may not be the same as BeachBody, as I can’t figure out how to be sure my fats, carbs, and protein % match my Calorie goal or portions)
ANY and ALL help is welcomed!!
Hi Brandi,
Anything from Sonic isn’t going to be approved-there is no way to track that. The Fix is all about ingredients, the nutrition info comes second. Ordering something without bread isn’t always helpful-for the Fix, you want the carbs and they should be whole grain.
This might help get you on the right track: https://mycrazygoodlife.com/what-is-the-21-day-fix/
You’ll need a food list, follow that for the guidelines of what you should and shouldn’t be eating. This link can help you find more info: https://mycrazygoodlife.com/tag/21-day-fix-tips/
Also, there are some YouTube videos that will help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az1lnUQ0QNc&list=PLprwSHTg6Ys_ywJNV5BnhmCHD_0XQDUzR
I wanted to like this recipe, but it turned out pretty gross tasting. The yogurt/cottage cheese combo is not the right flavor profile for this dish unfortunately. Adding pesto sauce to the leftovers makes them a little more bearable (I hate wasting food so am still eating them).
I’m sorry you didn’t love this recipe!
This recipe is so confusing. First off, I add the pasta that was recommended and not what was actually used. The chicken broth asked in recipe did not reach above the pasta as it needed to. One because I used more than what the one who wrote this actually used and two, bc the recipe only asked for 3cups. so what did I do? Add more broth, which in turn made my pasta turn into mush. Also no salt and pepper? Geez.
Hi Alli, I’m sorry you found this confusing. You didn’t mention which cooking method you used, so it’s difficult to help. Did you use the same pasta that I did? Whole wheat and the same shape? That could cause a discrepancy in how much broth was needed, of course, depending on the cooking method.
I don’t use salt in my recipes unless it’s needed for the actual cooking process. This allows the person who is eating the food to salt according to taste and health concerns. You can see that in my recipe tips towards the bottom of the post and in the printable recipe area.
So good! So glad I found this lighter version of the famous InstantPot Tuscan chicken, I think this will go into the meal rotation. I didn’t have any cottage cheese so I used some ricotta I had on hand.
Love this recipe!!
Absolutely delicious! The entire family loved it. Even my teenage son who is so picky!
Thank you!!
I followed this recipe exactly as written and it did not taste good at all. I used my Instant Pot. I’m not even a picky eater but the Greek yogurt taste was so strong. The chicken turned out good and the pasta itself was a good texture, but it just tasted like Greek yogurt covered pasta. My husband wouldn’t even eat it. The Greek yogurt/cottage cheese combo is just NOT it.
I’m sorry you didn’t love this!
I made the stovetop version and it came out a HUGE mess. Mushy with absolutely 0 flavor. I don’t know what I did wrong. I feel bad having to throw away so much in ingredients. Cooking everything in one spot on the stovetop did not work. I’m sure it came out better in the instant pot.
I’m sorry this didn’t work for you–we make it often on the stove and love it :-/
I was recently diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes and have been trying to find healthy versions of the foods I like.
I cooked this in my instant pot and it came out great! Couple suggestion: add closer to 4 cups chicken broth so noodles are covered, add an extra 1/2 TB Italian seasoning, add double garlic. These additions really helped balance the Greek yogurt taste. Will definitely make this again!
What oven temperature do you heat after storing in refrigerator ?
After refrigerating this, I heat it up in the microwave :)
My whole family loved this dish! You can’t even tell that the “creamy sauce” is FF cottage Cheese and FF greek Yogurt (I made the WW version). It tastes so decadent! Since it is a zero point food (for me anyways), I plan on adding like 2 cups of sun dried tomatoes instead of 1/2 next time. MAKE THIS! YOU WON’T REGRET IT!