LOW FAT CHICKEN & PASTA N CREAM SAUCE WITH VEGGIES

By Rose Mary Mogan
@cookinginillinois

THIS IS A LOWER FAT VERSION of a recipe I made BEFORE called Creamy Rigatoni with Veggies & Italian Sausage.

I was amazed at the calorie results after comparing the two dishes. The difference in this recipe is that I used Boneless Skinless chicken Breast instead of Italian Sausage, I also used Fat Free milk instead of whipping cream, & I used Greek Yogurt, & Reduced Fat Cream Cheese, I added a few additional veggies to this compared to the other recipe because I was out of mushrooms & tomatoes so I used shredded carrots and snow peas. Which really did not add too many extra calories.

Rating:

★★★★★ 1 vote

Comments:

18 Comments

Serves:

About 12 people at about 2 cups each

Prep:

35 Min

Cook:

55 Min

Method:

Stove Top

Ingredients

1 box: 16 oz. pasta of your choice (i used17.6 oz. trottole gourmet pasta)
1 c: mini sweet red peppers, chopped
1 large: yellow onion, chopped
1 bunch: green onions, chopped
6 clove: garlic, minced
5 stalk(s): celery chopped
1/2 lb: snow peas, (stems removed & strung)
2 c: carrots,shredded
12 oz: roasted red peppers, jar packed in oil but drained
8 oz: reduced fat cream cheese, softened ( i used 1/3 less fat)
1 1/2 c: grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp: italian seasoning spice or oregano
2 c: greek yogurt
1 1/2 c: fat free milk
3 Tbsp: coconut oil divided
2 lb: boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into medium size chunk pieces
1 1/2 Tbsp: steak seasoning (similiar to montreal steak seasoning)
1 Tbsp: each granulated garlic,paprika, & sumac or lemon zest
1 1/2 Tbsp: chopped dried chive

How to Make LOW FAT CHICKEN & PASTA N CREAM SAUCE WITH VEGGIES

Step-by-Step

1I tried to average this recipe out for servings per person, at 2 cups per serving. But the servings will depend on how hearty the appetites are. I had 1 cup which would be considered a 1/2 serving, and I was full. My husband had 2 huge plates each being more than 2 cups each, so it depends on appetites. In calculating this I used 2 cups as the NORM, AND THAT AVERAGED OUT TO 347 CALORIES PER PERSON. I used MY FITNESS PAL TO CALCULATE THE CALORIES PER SERVINGS. When I compared this recipe to the original recipe the difference in calories is 1442 calories per serving for the Creamy Rigatoni with Veggies & Italian Sausage, compared to 347 in this one.
2Cube chicken into medium chunks, then combine spices together and sprinkle liberally over chicken, and mix around until chicken is seasoned. Allow to sit at room temperature about 15 minutes for spices to penetrate and season chicken.
3Chop Green Onions and celery.
4Remove stem ends and string across top from snow peas.
5Chop yellow onions.
6Chop sweet peppers, when done you should have about 8 cups of fresh veggies. Add the shredded carrots, I had some that were purchased shredded.
7Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of coconut oil to large skillet, I used a 16 inch size. Heat over medium high heat then add prepared veggies, and cook until crisp tender.
8Remove veggies to a large bowl or platter till needed.
9Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil to skillet then add in the marinated and seasoned chicken pieces, cook over medium high heat, till done.
10Cook pasta according to directions on package for Al Dente, mine needed 9 to 10 minutes. Then drain. Add pasta back into pot along with the drained and chopped roasted peppers.
11Add the cooked veggies to the skillet with the chicken, then stir to mix together. Pour veggie/chicken mixture back into pot with cooked pasta, then stir to blend together.
12Now prepare the cream mixture by combining the softened cream cheese, with the milk and yogurt, then whisk together to blend, then add in the parmesan cheese. Stir to blend. Pour into pot with the pasta & chicken and stir until all is coated with cream sauce. Pour into a large serving platter, top with chopped green onion Tops and sweet peppers if desired, and serve with your favorite salad.
13These are some of the major calorie differences in this recipe compared to the Pasta with Italian Sausage Dish. Calories New 347 versus 1442 in the first recipe, Fat New 15 grams-versus 79 grams, Cholesterol New 91 versus 256, Sodium New 1054Mg versus 3,525 Mg. Carbs New 16 Versus 86 Grams Fiber 3 grams in New versus 8 grams in old recipe, Sugar was same in both recipes 6 grams, Protein in new recipe was 37, versus 99 in old recipe. This finding makes me want to re vamp all of my recipes, and this is just one reason why I couldn't loose weight. It is okay every now and then as long as you use MODERATION, BUT NOT ON A REGULAR BASIS. So that is why I am on a mission to try and loose weight.