½ cup chopped yellow onions
1 ½ pounds precooked chicken, diced
8 cups cooked penne pasta
1 cup canned, drained diced tomatoes
1 ½ gallon (8 cups) raw spinach leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
16 ounces Alfredo sauce, bought or your own recipe
½ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
People are also reading…
Italian parsley for garnish, optional
Freshly ground black pepper, optional
Notes: You will need a large sauté pan, 11- or 12-inches for this recipe or similar size straight-sided pot.
• For the test, we poached the chicken breasts, but oven-baked would work as well.
• The recipe calls for a “glaze” of the Alfredo sauce. We used less than the full 16 ounces to reach the desired taste and look of glazing.
1. Preheat the sauté pan over low heat, then add the olive oil, raise heat to medium and heat the oil. Add the onions and sweat them until they are translucent. Do not brown.
2. Add the garlic and sweat until garlic aroma is present, again do not brown.
3. Next add mushrooms and sauté until tender.
4. Add diced chicken and sauté until chicken is hot, stirring as needed.
5. Add the vegetable stock and cook to reduce it until liquid is almost dry, leaving a bit of liquid in the bottom of the skillet. Add cooked pasta and heat through.
6. Next, add tomatoes, spinach, oregano, basil and kosher salt, and stir to blend. Cover and cook just until the spinach wilts.
7. Stir the pasta and vegetables, the add the Alfredo sauce in two or three additions, stirring in between each addition, until pasta appears just glazed with sauce. Taste, and add more if needed.
8. Plate each serving of pasta and top with Parmesan cheese.
Per serving: 640 calories; 33g fat; 9g saturated fat; 98mg cholesterol; 900mg sodium; 48g carbohydrates; 4g sugar; 5g fiber; 38g protein; 178mg calcium
.
