I’ve stayed away from pasta as a healthy choice for calorie-counting, but I realized if I loaded up with veggies, used less pasta and less sauce, I could still have this long-time favorite.
This recipe in particular is full of flavor due to a healthy dose of garlic and what I think really brings it together – a few generous shakes of dried basil. I don’t make my own sauce, but I think this takes the canned sauce to the next level. Try it and let me know what you think! 🙂
Ingredients:
7 oz Barilla Plus pasta, cooked as stated on box
2/3 jar Trader Joe’s Organic Marinara pasta sauce (or similar)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 sweet onion
1 green pepper
1 8 oz package of mushrooms
6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast – cubed and cooked
Black and red pepper, and dried basil to taste
Instructions:
Chop onion and green pepper. Add olive oil and 1/2 the tablespoon of minced garlic to skillet. Add onion and green pepper and cook on medium heat.
Bring water for pasta to a boil. Once pasta is added, set timer for desired doneness of pasta (mine was 12 minutes).
Add cooked chicken to the skillet. Continue stirring mixture and then add sauce. Bring to a boil and then begin to simmer.
When there is about 8 minutes left on the timer, add the mushrooms, the rest of the minced garlic, black and red pepper, and dried basil. Bring to a boil again and continue stirring.
Drain pasta and add to 4 plates with equal servings. Do the same for the sauce.
Calories: 296.
To make this calorie-friendly, I used 7 oz of Barilla Plus pasta (1/2 the box), to equal about 1.75 oz. I used 2/3 of the jar of organic marinara sauce and minimal amounts of olive oil – just enough to put a shine in the skillet to keep the veggies from sticking. I also only used 6 oz total of chicken, as the pasta has protein. And then it’s just lots and lots of veggies – which don’t add much in the way of calories, but add lots in flavor, fiber, etc.
Enjoy! Yum!
- 7 oz Barilla Plus pasta, cooked as stated on box
- 2/3 jar Trader Joe's Organic Marinara pasta sauce (or similar)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 sweet onion
- 1 green pepper
- 1 8 oz package of mushrooms
- 6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast - cubed and cooked
- Black and red pepper, and dried basil to taste
- Chop onion and green pepper. Add olive oil and 1/2 the tablespoon of minced garlic to skillet. Add onion and green pepper and cook on medium heat.
- Bring water for pasta to a boil. Once pasta is added, set timer for desired doneness of pasta (mine was 12 minutes).
- Add cooked chicken to the skillet. Continue stirring mixture and then add sauce. Bring to a boil and then begin to simmer.
- When there is about 8 minutes left on the timer, add the mushrooms, the rest of the minced garlic, black and red pepper, and dried basil. Bring to a boil again and continue stirring.
- Drain pasta and add to 4 plates with equal servings. Do the same for the sauce.
This looks wonderful! I love sauteed veggies!
Yay! If you make it, let me know how you like it. 🙂