Creamy Chicken and Spinach Pasta

Creamy Chicken and Spinach Pasta

Serves 4

2 cups warm, shredded cooked chicken (or about 8 ounces)

6 ounces dry pasta, some sort of short variety (penne, rotini, etc)

1 cup frozen peas

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup Vidalia onion, diced

2 garlic cloves

1 cup (10 ounces by weight) plain Greek yogurt

6 ounces baby spinach

1. Prepare pasta according to directions. When the pasta is done, save 1 cup of the pasta water.
2. Heat the shredded chicken in the microwave (or any other preferred method.) Keep hot.
3. While you are boiling the pasta, in a small non-stick skillet, add olive oil. When hot, add onions. Saute until they are beginning to become translucent (4-6 minutes over medium-high heat.) Add garlic and stir for an additional minute.
4. Add yogurt to the onions and garlic. Stir to combine. If it seems too thick for your preference, add small amounts of the hot pasta water.
5. To quickly and easily thaw the peas, place them in a large colander, and pour the cooked pasta over them. Quickly drain the pasta, and add back to the pasta pot. The pasta does not need to be fully drained.
6. Add half of the spinach.  Top with onion/yogurt mixture and chicken.  Stir to combine.
7. Add remaining spinach.  Toss to combine. The spinach will partially wilt under the surrounding heat of the dish.

Note: You could easily use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Simply shred it and reheat in the microwave, or in a saute pan with some broth and a bit (1/4 cup) of gravy.

Nutritional data (each portion is approximately 1 1/4 cups):

Calories:      279

Fat:             7.7g

Sat fat:           2g

Chol:            36mg
Sodium:      130mg
Carbs:       32.5g

Fiber:             3g

Protein:        20g


Note: This was the first time I made this dish. Next time, I will add something with another color, maybe some diced fire-roasted red bell peppers.