Chicken Pesto and Pasta

A low-fat variation of traditional pesto teamed with chicken and pasta to make a delicious entrée rich in beta carotene, vitamin C and folate.

Ingredients

• 6 ounces rotini pasta, uncooked
• 1 cup firmly packed fresh spinach leaves
• 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 Tablespoon toasted pine nuts
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• dash cayenne pepper
• ½ cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 4 (4 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves vegetable cooking spray

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, set aside and keep warm.
2. Combine spinach and next five ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Pour into a small bowl, and stir in yogurt.
3. Slice chicken breasts diagonally across the grain into 1/4 inch strips. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken and saute until browned. Stir in spinach mixture. Cover and simmer 5 minutes until thoroughly heated and chicken is tender, being careful not to boil.
4. Add cooked pasta to skillet and toss gently to combine.

Yield: 6 servings

Per serving:

• Calories 228
• Fat 4 g
• Protein 24 g
• Carbohydrates 23 g
• Sodium 104 mg

Diets

Appropriate for the following diets: healthy family, heart healthy, diabetes

Menu Ideas

Serve with crusty whole grain bread and tomato salad (coarsely chopped fresh tomatoes, thinly slice Vidalia onions and reduced-fat olive oil vinaigrette).