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.
Can I help you Meal Prep in your Instant Pot?
Read more about Meal Prep in an Instant here, and download the Fix container counts and WW points for Blue, Purple, and Green plans here!
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.
My was a little runny.. I think I would cook it longer in the insta pot.
Cooking longer will overcook your noodles :) You can try less liquid next time!
I made this using my Instapot last night and cooked for 5 min. It was perfect.
Can you clarify at what point you put in the broth cooking in a slow cooker? It does not specify. Thanks!
Sorry! You’ll want to add the broth with the chicken and sun dried tomatoes. Editing the post now! :)
This was very flavourful!! Its A keeper!
Not too bad. Easy and fun to make. I’m just a fan of tomatoes, but doesn’t have a strong tomato flavor unless u eat those. Thanks for a new recipe, will def do again.
Can ricotta cheese be substituted for the cottage cheese?
Absolutely!
Do the points stay the same if you sub ricotta for the cottage?
I haven’t checked that. And it’ll depend on this plan you’re following–I’d login to WW and look them up to see!
Please educate me on how you calculated 7 WW BLUE POINTS per 1-1/2 cups for the TUSCAN CHICKEN PASTA
I explained it in the post, but I used the WW calculator online. The ingredients I used are in the printable recipe. I just recalculated and got 7 blue plan points again :)
chicken broth: 1 for the entire recipe
tomatoes: 0
chicken: 0
pasta: 31 for the entire recipe
fat free greek yogurt: 0
fat free cottage cheese: 3 for entire recipe
parmesan: 9 for entire recipe
Can fresh mushrooms be added
Yes, that would be delicious!
This was delicious! It tastes so rich! I want to get creative and do the cream sauce mixed with marinara. So may options with this white sauce as a base. Definitely a keeper!
Should I use less chicken broth in the slow cooker version? Or does it thicken up after you add the cottage cheese and yogurt?
Yes! Thanks for catching that–I’d start with a cup. If you use the entire 3 cups, just drain before adding the cottage cheese and yogurt mixture.
Crazy good! This recipe is a keeper!
Is this weight watchers? It doesnt specify how many points this recipe is.
It does, under the heading “How many points are in this pasta?” 7 Blue, 9 Green, 2 Purple. It’s also in the printable recipe at the end of the post.
I liked the flavor.
I cooked it stove top. It needed an entire box (32oz) chicken broth to cook the pasta. I had to keep adding some into the pot. Don’t use a fry pan!
I tried it after adding the parmesan cheese and spinach I liked that as well.
My husband thinks that some other vegetable could be added, perhaps peas.
He’s not a big fan of white meat, which I used, he would rather have dark meat.
I would use less pasta, 12 oz is too much.
If I use less pasta then I would also use less broth instead of the entire box like I did.
I will make it again.
Thank you for the recipe.
Is this served warm or cold?
Typically, warm!
Any suggestions on storing and reheating? I’m making this ahead of time to eat for lunch at work.
Sore in meal prep containers and microwave for 1:30-2:30, depending on your microwave.
I made it according to the recipe, only adding a drained can of mushrooms, and it came out perfectly! I just started WW this week and have struggled to find satisfying recipes that don’t blow all my points. This is a keeper! Thanks so much for sharing. ;)
Hi!!
Is it grated Parmesan cheese or shredded?
Thanks!
Either, but I use shredded :)
I have a question regarding the broth. 3 cups made it soupy in the instant pot….it was way too much liquid. Could I cut back the broth to just 1 cup? I am afraid of it burning on. Other than that, the flavor was delicious.
Daphne, Did you use whole wheat pasta? That could explain the extra liquid.
If you let me know about the pasta I can help you troubleshoot the liquid!
I cooked this a couple days ago in the InstaPot, even used 14-15oz of noodles (vs 12oz) and it was SWIMMING in chicken broth. I mixed the cottage cheese/yogurt in hoping it would help but it just almost dissolved in the liquid. Was extremely disappointed. I used Whole Wheat Penne Noodles from Schnucks.
Hi Stephanie, I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you! How did you cook it?
If you were to use whole wheat pasta, how would that change the recipe? Also, do you think I could use a rotisserie chicken instead?
This recipe calls for wheat pasta :) You can use rotisserie chicken, I’d skip step two!
My husband and I made this tonight and we both loved it! We used 2% yogurt and normal cottage cheese and it was so creamy.
This would be great for a pot luck. A crowd pleaser!