September 25, 2012

No Points Pasta

So I am doing a recipe post and it's going to be really boring because I don't have a single picture of the food I made because, like I said in my last post, I don't have an iPhone. BUT you really should make this dish because it's really good and easy.

From the time I was about 11 until after I came to college the only thing I knew how to make was pasta with cream sauce. (My mama taught me right, guys.) And I was good at it, too. Didn't even need to look at a recipe or anything. I loved to make it on New Year's Eve while my friends and I watched old episodes of Laguna Beach, or for dinner during my first year at school. It has always been my go-to and I love the simplicty of it. This recipe is the grown up version of that dish. After all, I am almost 21!

(It's called No Points Pasta because I am doing Weight Watchers and this pasta is actually A LOT of points but I just kept joking about how it's not any points because I wanted to eat the whole pot! HILARITY.)

NO POINTS PASTA (adapted from Pioneer Woman's Penne a la Betsy)

1 box penne
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 package white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup sodium-free chicken broth
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup cream
1 rotisserie chicken, cut up into bite-sized pieces (I used almost the whole chicken)
handful (or more) fresh spinach
dash cayenne (optional)
fresh basil (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)
handful shredded parmesan

Directions:

Boil water and cook pasta until al dente, about 11 minutes.

Heat butter and olive oil in LARGE saucepan. Add garlic and onion and saute until onions start to get soft, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are almost fully cooked, becoming soft and dark. Then add the chicken broth and let simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once everything is incorporated, add the tomato sauce and stir together well. Then...the cream. Turn the heat down and add your chicken and spinach. Stir well. Cover and let simmer for a few minutes until the spinach is soft.

While the sauce is simmering, chop your basil. You can add as much as you want, I used about a tablespoon but wished I had added more.

If you like a bit of spice, throw some cayenne in the sauce. Then add your basil, and salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Drain pasta and pour it into the sauce. Throw in the handful of parm. Stir until well combined.

You won't be single for long, ladies! LOL but seriously it's extremely delicious.

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