Healthy Tuscan Chicken Pasta Recipe
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.
Servings: 6
Calories: 467kcal
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. See article above for details.
- 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
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- 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
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