This Weight Watchers Tuscan Chicken Pasta is a delicious and easy weeknight meal that your entire family will love! I’ve altered this popular dish to be a healthy, WW recipe without sacrificing the creamy and indulgent pasta dish.
Where’s the recipe?
I have readers of all skill levels in the kitchen. To better serve everyone, I include a ton of helpful tips and information. If you would like to get right to the recipe and skip these tips, please scroll to the bottom where you’ll find the easy to print recipe card.
Ingredients
- Sun-dried tomatoes: You can swap out the sun-dried tomatoes with fresh grape tomatoes cut in half.
- Seasonings & Spices: For this pasta dish, I chose Italian herbs, lots of minced garlic, sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper.
- Chicken: While I prefer Chicken, you can substitute with turkey and keep your points relatively low.
- Whole Wheat Pasta: Whole Wheat uses the entire grain. It is less processed and takes more energy for your body to break down.
- Low-sodium chicken broth: I prefer to use broth in recipes as opposed to just water. If you don’t have broth on hand, just use equal parts of water.
- Fat free cottage cheese and fat free Greek yogurt: When blended together, this combination is seriously life changing when it comes to healthy cooking! This mixture replicates heavy cream while adding protein and keeping the points and calories down.
- Spinach: Fresh spinach adds a ton of vitamins and beautiful color to this dish.
- Fresh basil: I adore the flavor of fresh basil!
- Parmesan cheese: Parmesan cheese adds a slightly salty and nutty flavor. Grab a wedge of fresh and grate it yourself.
Recipe Tips
- Cut your chicken into one-inch cubes or ½ inch thick slices so that it cooks quickly and evenly.
- If you’re using dried basil, you only need 1 tsp. Make sure and add it during step one along with the rest of the spices.
- For meal prep, cook per the instructions and refrigerate or freeze in individual serving size containers.
Instant Pot Instructions
Time needed: 17 minutes.
Time needed doesn’t include the time it takes for your pot to come. to pressure, as that can vary so much based on your altitude and pot.
- Sauté
Lightly spray your pot with cooking spray and set Instant Pot to sauté. Once your pot is hot add tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning salt, and pepper. Cook until just fragrant using a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Add your chicken
Brown chicken on all sides for 3-5 minutes. This will prevent chicken from sticking together when under pressure.
- Add your pasta
Add your whole wheat noodles and chicken broth to the pot. Stir and pat down pasta, making sure the pasta is mostly covered in liquid.
If you need to add more water/broth, you can do so now. Be sure to drain and extra water before adding more ingredients. - Pressure Cook
Close and lock the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cook time for 3 minutes.
- Make your cream sauce
While the pasta is cooking, blend the Greek yogurt and cottage cheese together until smooth and set aside.
- Quick Release
When the cook time is complete, quick release the pressure by moving the black valve on your pot from Sealing to Venting. When it’s done releasing pressure, remove the lid.
Drain any extra liquid in your pot. - Stir in spinach
Add spinach and fresh basil to the pot and stir until the leaves have wilted, then drain the excess liquid from the pot.
- Add your sauce
Add the parmesan, blended yogurt and cottage cheese, and stir gently until evenly mixed.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Lightly spray a skillet with cooking oil, then add your tomatoes, garlic, Italian herbs, and pepper. Sauté over high heat for 30 seconds.
- Next, add your cubed chicken and brown for 1-2 minutes until the chicken no longer sticks together.
- Place all of the contents of your skillet into your crockpot, and add your chicken broth.
- Cover with the lid and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours.
- During the last 30 minutes of the cook time, stir in your noodles, and make sure all the pasta is covered in liquid. If you need to add more liquid, do so now.
- Once the cook time is complete, drain any excess liquid and add your spinach and basil. Stir until spinach is wilted.
- Blend cottage cheese and Greek yogurt until smooth, and add the mixture to the Crockpot.
- Stir in parmesan cheese and serve immediately topped with fresh basil.
Stovetop Instructions
- Lightly spray a large skillet or pot with cooking oil, then add your tomatoes, garlic, Italian herbs, and pepper. Sauté over high heat for 30 seconds.
- Next, add your cubed chicken and brown for 1-2 minutes until the chicken no longer sticks together.
- Add your pasta and chicken broth to the skillet. Stir and make sure all the noodles are covered. Once the broth begins to boil, cover your skillet and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the pasta is cooked, add your spinach and basil. Stir until spinach is wilted, then drain any excess liquid from the pan.
- Blend cottage cheese and Greek yogurt until smooth, and add to the pan.
- Stir in parmesan cheese and serve immediately topped with fresh basil.
Weight Watchers Points
This recipe makes 6 equal servings (approximately 1 1/2 cup servings). Each serving counts as 7 Blue Plan Points | 10 Green Plan Points | 2 Purple Plan Points. Remember, Blue Points are the old Freestyle points program.
Divide the recipe into 6 equal servings for your most accurate portion size–especially if you use different shaped pasta, as they all grow to a different size when cooked.
Do you have more WW dinners?
You bet! In additions to this creamy recipe, there are a ton of delicious Weight Watchers recipes , including a ton of Weight Watchers pasta recipes, here at My Crazy Good Life:
Weight Watchers Instant Pot Recipes:
- Instant Pot Egg Roll in a Bowl (Southwest version!)
- Weight Watchers Swedish Meatballs
- Weight Watchers Chicken Alfredo – a delicious pasta dish!
- Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
- Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Healthy White Chicken Chili
Weight Watchers Crockpot Recipes:
- Mississippi Pot Roast
- Weight Watchers Beef Stroganoff
- Crockpot Jambalaya
- Drunken Noodles Crockpot Recipe
- Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken
- Slow Cooker Brown Rice Pudding
Weight Watchers Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth one cup for crock pot and stove top
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes without oil, or you can use halved grape tomatoes
- ½ tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 lbs chicken breast diced into 1-inch cubes
- 12 oz whole wheat pasta
- 2 cups baby spinach
- ¾ cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup fat-free cottage cheese
- ⅔ cup parmesan grated
- ¼ cup fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
Instant Pot
- Lightly spray your pot with cooking spray and set Instant Pot to sauté. Once your pot is hot add tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning salt, and pepper. Cook until just fragrant using a wooden spoon or spatula to prevent sticking.
- Brown chicken on all sides for 3-5 minutes. This will prevent chicken from sticking together when under pressure.
- Add your whole wheat noodles and chicken broth to the pot. Stir and make sure all of the pasta is pushed below the liquid.
- Close and lock the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cook time for 3 minutes.
- While the pasta is cooking, blend the Greek yogurt and cottage cheese together until smooth and set aside.
- When the cook time is complete, quick release the pressure, and remove the lid. Drain extra liquid, if necessary.
- Add spinach and fresh basil to the pot and stir until the leaves have wilted, then drain the excess liquid from the pot.
- Add the parmesan, blended yogurt and cottage cheese, and stir until evenly mixed.
Slow Cooker
- Lightly spray a skillet with cooking oil, add your tomatoes, garlic, Italian herbs, and pepper. Sauté over high heat for 30 seconds.
- Next, add your cubed chicken and brown for 1-2 minutes until chicken no longer sticks together.
- Place all of the contents of your skillet into your crockpot, and add your chicken broth.
- Cover with the lid and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours.
- During the last 30 minutes of the cook time, stir in your noodles, and make sure all the pasta is covered in liquid. If you need to add more liquid, so so now.
- Once the cook time is complete, add your spinach and basil Stir until spinach is wilted. Drain the excess liquid from the pot.
- Blend cottage cheese and Greek yogurt until smooth, and add to the pot.
- Stir in parmesan cheese and serve immediately topped with fresh basil.
Stovetop
- Lightly spray a large skillet or pot with cooking oil, add your tomatoes, garlic, Italian herbs, and pepper. Sauté over high heat for 30 seconds.
- Next, add your cubed chicken and brown for 1-2 minutes until chicken no longer sticks together.
- Add your pasta and chicken broth to the skillet, stir and make sure all the noodles are covered. Once the broth begins to boil, cover your skillet and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 12-15 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Once the pasta is cooked, add your spinach and basil. Stir until spinach is wilted. Drain any excess liquid from the pan.
- Blend cottage cheese and Greek yogurt until smooth, and add to the pan.
- Stir in parmesan cheese and serve immediately topped with fresh basil.
Video
Notes
- 7 Blue Plan Points | 10 Green Plan Points | 2 Purple Plan Points
- Cut your chicken into one-inch cubes or ½ inch thick slices so that it cooks quickly and evenly.
- You can substitute the sun-dried tomatoes with fresh grape tomatoes. Just cut them in half and sauté in step one below.
- If you’re using dried basil you will only need 1 tsp. Make sure and add it during step one along with the rest of the spices.
- For meal prep, cook per the instructions and refrigerate or freeze in individual serving size containers.
I’ve made this twice and it’s great as is, however, next time I think I’ll decrease pasta, increase vegs, adding maybe broccoli and increase the chicken. Would love to hear other tweaks.
Not to take away from the original recipe which is fantastic! Did not think I’d like the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt but you really can’t taste either.
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVED this recipe, i was shocked at how food this tasted. Never thought that cottage cheese and greek yogurt would be such a great combo. Will definitely keep this one on my list.
Hi! I have 16oz of whole wheat pasta. If I used all of it how much broth should I add? I’m doing it on stovetop!! :)
I’d slowly add the broth until you get to the consistency you like. An alternative way to make this is to click on the serving size in the recipe and slide it until the ingredients show 16 oz of pasta, then use those measurements :)
I can taste the Greek yogurt and it’s not good. I tried to season the yogurt and cottage cheese blend with garlic powder but nothing helped :(
I’m sorry you didn’t like this!
It was good. I personally needed a little more flavor. I might add mushrooms next time. Yes, I will make it again
I just put everything in the crock pot and then read down further and it said to add the pasta the last 30 minutes 😬. Hope it turns out 🤞
Keep an eye on your pasta – hopefully the chicken will be done at the same time! Just try not to let it sit longer than it has to :)
Did anyone do anything with the left over broth??
I just input the nutritional info not the WW calculator… how is this 7 Blue pts??? It shows 14 as per Calc.
Hi Eden! I calculate all of my points using the ingredients, not the nutrition information. If you calculate that way you’ll see that the points are correct.