Recipes

Last night there was just a slight chill in the air – enough so that it was the perfect excuse to make a warm, creamy pasta dish for dinner. And maybe just cold enough to sit and eat said pasta dish in front of the TV watching shows I am too embarrassed to admit I like. You all know the kind, that you secretly watch and pray no one walks in the door. Both because you don’t want to be caught, but also because you don’t want to miss a moment. Do you have those shows? My list is way too long. But back to the pasta. This simple dish combines yummy spinach noodles (you can use any high fiber noodle) with chicken, homemade pesto, and zucchini. A touch of cream cheese and water from cooking the pasta add just the right amount of creaminess and it is still under 300 calories for a hearty 1 1/2 cup serving.

Weight Watchers Creamy Zucchini Pesto Pasta
Points: 8 Weight Watchers Points Plus
Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
Nutritional Info: 292.2 calories, 10.5g of fat, 31.8g carbohydrates, 5.3g dietary fiber, 21.9g of protein

Ingredients

• 8 oz uncooked noodles (Spinach High Fiber Noodles)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1 pound chicken breast, cut into strips
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 medium zucchinis, sliced into sticks
• 2 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
• 2 tbsp pasta cooking water
• Salt and pepper to tatse

For the Pesto

Instructions

1. Using a food processor, pulse together all of the ingredients for the pesto. You will only need half for the recipe, so pack and store the remaining pesto.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook according to the package directions, taking it out 2 minutes early so it doesn’t overcook when you add it to the sauce. Reserve 2 tbsp of the cooking water.
3. In a large saute pan over medium heat add the butter and let it melt. Spray some additional cooking spray and add the onions. Cook for 3-5 minutes until they begin to soften up.
4. Add the garlic and chicken. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the zucchini. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and zucchini is cooked to your liking – about 5 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and add the cooked pasta, pesto, cream cheese, and water to the pan. Stir together everything and serve.

Looking for more yummy and healthy pasta dishes? Check out these oldies but goodies

Chicken, Ziti, Broccoli…Well Spaghetti

Baked Ziti Bolognese