However, this tasty little concoction came from one of those nights in early summer where I didn't mind a little extra heat from my stove. I had spinach and mushrooms that needed to be eaten along with some leftover grilled chicken, and I knew I could come up with something. So I got to work. The original recipe only made 2 one-cup servings, so I doubled it for your benefit. Just remember that what you see pictured cooking is only half the recipe!
Creamy Spinach & Chicken Pasta
2 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
3-4 cloves minced garlic
3 c. fresh spinach
2 heaping Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 c. low-fat cottage cheese, pureed in blender
1 c. low-fat milk
3 tsp. dried basil or 3 Tbsp fresh basil
salt/pepper to taste
1/2 c. shredded parmesan (not grated!!)
2-3 large chicken breasts, grilled and diced
4 c. cooked pasta
Heat olive oil in a large pan. Add mushrooms and garlic. Saute for about 5-10 minutes or until mushrooms are done.
While mushrooms are cooking, you want to prep two other things. First, you want to roughly chop the fresh spinach.
The second thing you need to do is pull out your blender or food processor and puree that cottage cheese with the milk. You don't want lumpy sauce. Trust me.
Eventually your mushrooms will be done and look something like this:
Add spinach and cook another minute or two until spinach is wilted. (Tip: If you're using fresh basil in this recipe, this may be a good time to add that, too.)
It should look something like this when you're ready to move on:
Sprinkle corn starch over pan and toss to let the moisture in the pan absorb it.
Pour in your milk and cottage cheese mixture and simmer until thickened.
Add Parmesan cheese, salt/pepper to taste, and dried basil. This is when you want to make sure you're tasting this dish and have the seasonings the way you like it.
Add diced chicken and mix well.
Doesn't this look divine??
Serve 1 cup of sauce over 1 cup of pasta for a very filling meal!
