A Life In Tune

Last week I made one of my favorite pastas and it’s super easy. With the holidays coming up and all of the preparations in full swing, I thought we all could use ideas for weeknight recipes that are easy to prepare. This is a recipe I got from a friend and I’ve altered it to fit our family’s preferences.

Ingredients

Chicken (approximately 1 lb.)

Mushrooms (optional)

Onions (optional)

Spinach or another green that works well with pastas (a handful)

Pasta – I like to use whole wheat rotini (about half a box)

Cream cheese  – I use the light version (8 oz.)

Tomato Sauce (30 oz.)

Oregano, Italian Seasoning, Basil, Garlic Salt

 

First, I boiled water and cooked the pasta. Once the pasta was almost cooked, I added the greens. I normally use spinach, but I didn’t have any that day, so I used some random greens I got from our CSA. I think they might have been collared greens, but I’m not entirely sure. Anyway, I just added a handful of chopped greens for the last minute or two before draining it.

Once I cut the chicken into cubes, I cooked it in a skillet. I used water instead of oil to cut down on calories. Then, I added chopped onion and mushrooms once the chicken was almost cooked. You could probably also add green peppers or a variety of other vegetables. Once everything was cooked, I added the tomato sauce, along with some seasonings. I usually use oregano, Italian seasoning, basil, and garlic salt, and I add to taste.

Next comes the cream cheese. It seems to work best if you cut it up so that it melts faster. I let it cook and stir it frequently until the cheese is all melted. All that’s left at this point is to add the drained pasta and greens to the chicken and sauce mixture. We served it with salad and bread with dipping oil.

Add your favorite easy weeknight meal in the comments!