Tuscan Chicken with Lentil Pasta
Who says you can’t have pasta when you are eating healthy? Try this Tuscan Chicken with Lentil Pasta! With so many different varieties of pasta on the market, you can totally have pasta and still eat healthily. In fact, regular pasta isn’t unhealthy, when having portion control, however, it does not have much nutritional value. That is why I LOVE red lentil pasta, the additional nutrients! So far it is my favorite pasta alternative. If you haven’t tried it now is your time!
Ingredients to make Tuscan Chicken with Lentil Pasta:
- 17 oz Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Breast
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 6 cups Water
- 1 box Red Lentil Penne Pasta (about 250 grams)
- 4 cloves Fresh Garlic diced, (about 20 grams)
- 2 cups Baby Portobello Mushrooms sliced, (about 185 grams)
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes, No Salt Added (about 15 oz)
- ½ Red Onion sliced, (about 100 grams)
- ½ tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- 2 oz Cream Cheese, Lite
- 3 cups Baby Spinach (about 100 grams)
- ½ cup Dubliner Cheese freshly shredded, any white cheddar will do (about 65 grams)
Instructions:
- Heat a large stovetop pan to medium heat.
- While the pan is heating season your chicken breasts on both sides with black pepper and garlic powder.
- Once the pan is hot add the oil to the pan, then immediately add the chicken breast to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Just enough to get a golden brown color on each side. The chicken will not be cooked through yet, that is ok.
- While the chicken is cooking bring a pot of 6 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling add your red lentil penne pasta to the pot and cook for 10 minutes. Once done strain the pasta.
- After the Chicken has cooked for 2 minutes on both sides, remove the chicken from the pan leaving juices in the pan, and set it aside while you begin working with the other ingredients.
- At this point, your pasta should be in the water.
- Turn the heat on the large pan you just cooked the chicken in down to medium-low. Add the diced garlic and sliced mushrooms to the pan. Stir the veggies in with the juices remaining from the chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes. Stirring often to prevent burning. If there doesn’t seem to be enough liquid, add a tablespoon or two of the liquid from the tomatoes.
- While your mushrooms are cooking slice your chicken breast into bite-sized pieces.
- After the mushrooms and garlic have cooked for 3-5 minutes, add your sliced chicken back into the pan. Then add your tomatoes, red onion, and season with the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together and cook for 3 minutes.
- Now add your cream cheese to the pan. Stir until the cream cheese has mostly melted, about 1 minute.
- Then add your baby spinach to the pan. Stir in with the other ingredients until wilted, about 1 minute.
- At this point, your pasta should be done. Strain your pasta and add the pasta into your large pan and toss with the veggies. Sprinkle with the freshly shredded cheese and serve!
Tuscan Chicken with Lentil Pasta
Ingredients
- 17 oz Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Breast
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 6 cups Water
- 1 box Red Lentil Penne Pasta (about 250 grams)
- 4 cloves Fresh Garlic diced, (about 20 grams)
- 2 cups Baby Portobello Mushrooms sliced, (about 185 grams)
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes, No Salt Added (about 15 oz)
- ½ Red Onion sliced, (about 100 grams)
- ½ tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- 2 oz Cream Cheese, Lite
- 3 cups Baby Spinach (about 100 grams)
- ½ cup Dubliner Cheese freshly shredded, any white cheddar will do (about 65 grams)
Instructions
- Heat a large stovetop pan to medium heat.
- While the pan is heating season your chicken breasts on both sides with black pepper and garlic powder.
- Once the pan is hot add the oil to the pan, then immediately add the chicken breast to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Just enough to get a golden brown color on each side. The chicken will not be cooked through yet, that is ok.
- While the chicken is cooking bring a pot of 6 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling add your red lentil penne pasta to the pot and cook for 10 minutes. Once done strain the pasta.
- After the Chicken has cooked for 2 minutes on both sides, remove the chicken from the pan leaving juices in the pan, and set it aside while you begin working with the other ingredients.
- At this point, your pasta should be in the water.
- Turn the heat on the large pan you just cooked the chicken in down to medium-low. Add the diced garlic and sliced mushrooms to the pan. Stir the veggies in with the juices remaining from the chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes. Stirring often to prevent burning. If there doesn't seem to be enough liquid, add a tablespoon or two of the liquid from the tomatoes.
- While your mushrooms are cooking slice your chicken breast into bite-sized pieces.
- After the mushrooms and garlic have cooked for 3-5 minutes, add your sliced chicken back into the pan. Then add your tomatoes, red onion, and season with the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together and cook for 3 minutes.
- Now add your cream cheese to the pan. Stir until the cream cheese has mostly melted, about 1 minute.
- Then add your baby spinach to the pan. Stir in with the other ingredients until wilted, about 1 minute.
- At this point, your pasta should be done. Strain your pasta and add the pasta into your large pan and toss with the veggies. Sprinkle with the freshly shredded cheese and serve!
Macro Nutrition
Macro Adjustments:
Below outlines the items in each macro group that are easily adjustable to meet your specific macro goals.
Fat:
The fat in this recipe comes from the oil and the cheese. I don’t recommend adjusting the amount of oil. But you can adjust the cheese. If you are looking to decrease the fat I would suggest reducing or removing the shredded cheese, and not adjust the cream cheese as that provides the creamy sauce. If you wanted to increase the fat increasing the cream cheese is a great way to go. You could even choose to use a full-fat cream cheese instead of a lite cream cheese.
Carbohydrates:
The carbs in this recipe come mainly from the pasta. Pasta is a super easy ingredient to use more or less of to meet your specific carb macro.
Protein:
Chicken is a great lean cut of meat, providing most of the protein In this recipe. You could adjust the amount of chicken used to adjust the protein. If you would like to increase the fat in this recipe even more you can easily swap out the chicken breast for boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Meal Prep:
Yes. This recipe can be meal prepped. In the fridge, this recipe will last up to 6 days.
Freezer Friendly:
No. Unfortunately, red lentil pasta is not very good once it has been cooked, frozen, and thawed out, it tends to dry out.
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