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Creamy Pasta with Chicken and Vegetables [UPDATED]
Published 5:15pm Wednesday, June 13, 2012 Updated 5:15pm Wednesday, June 13, 2012Here we go again, more chicken and pasta! This one has the consistency of mac and cheese, but with a lighter, creamier cheese and all those delicious veggies hidden inside.
Aside from one of my daughters picking out the onions, she actually liked the sweet peppers and other veggies. This is a total family friendly dinner!
I had trouble fitting all the pasta back into the skillet with the mixture, and ended up putting the noodles back into my large pasta pot and adding the chicken mixture to it.
Creamy Pasta with Chicken and Vegetables
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
1 lb rigatoni noodles, cooked al dente
1 ½ lb boneless chicken breasts (about 3 large)
1 TBL olive oil
1 oz package cream cheese (I used fat free cream cheese)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chopped fresh or minced basil
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 zucchini, chopped in bite size pieces
1 colored pepper (yellow, red or orange), chopped in bite size pieces
½ large sweet onion, chopped in large pieces
1 pkg grape tomatoes, slice in half
½ of a 1 pound bag of fresh spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions, do not overcook and drain and set aside to stop cooking process.
Cut chicken breasts into bit size chunks. Add olive oil to skillet and heat. Add chicken and garlic and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet.
Add colored pepper and onion to skillet. Cook about 4-5 minutes until tender. Add in zucchini and cook 2 minutes longer. Return chicken to the pan and stir in the cream cheese and parmesan until melted. Add in the basil and spinach. Continue to stir until the spinach is wilted. Put the pasta in the skillet and stir until well combined and heated through. Add in the grape tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste.
NOTE: I had trouble fitting all the pasta back into the skillet with the mixture, and ended up putting the noodles back into my large pasta pot and adding the chicken mixture to it.
Serve and enjoy!
