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Weight Watchers Recipe of the Day: Pioneer Woman Chicken Spaghetti Made Lighter and Easier
I love taking my favorite “comfort food” recipes and making them lighter and more Weight Watchers friendly.
Staying on plan is so much easier when you make foods the entire family will enjoy – Weight Watchers Family Meals (affiliate link)!
This dish for chicken spaghetti from The Pioneer Woman is a great example.
As Ree says, “Everyone loves this dish and I know you will too!”
Here’s a Food Network video of Ree whipping up her version of chicken spaghetti casserole…
Recipe Notes
I’m a lazier cook than Ree. She starts by cooking chicken to make her casserole. I tend to wait till I have leftover chicken available before making my version.
Here’s what I did to make my chicken spaghetti lighter, healthier and more Weight Watchers friendly…
- Made a smaller batch
- Used more chicken breast and less spaghetti
- Used Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup
- Substituted reduced fat cheddar cheese and used less
I also substituted chopped roasted red bell pepper for the pimentos and sliced green onion for onion to work with what I had in the pantry/fridge.
And I skipped the green bell pepper out of personal preference.
I love the versatility of comfort food casseroles like this. You can change them up to suit your needs and what you have on hand.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Chicken Spaghetti Casserole?
According to my calculations, each serving has about 382 calories and:
8 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
7 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
7 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
8 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
Recipe Variations
No spaghetti?
Substitute with your favorite pasta.
No cream of chicken soup?
Substitute cream of mushroom or celery or lowfat sour cream or nonfat Greek yogurt.
No cheddar cheese?
Substitute whatever cheese you have on hand.
More vegetables?
I think the addition of chopped cooked mushrooms, cauliflower and corn could all work.
If you like this recipe for lighter pasta be sure to check out: Slow Cooker Spaghetti Frittata, Light & Healthy Creamy One Pot Pasta, Skinny Pasta wit Broccoli & Chicken, Creamy Slow Cooker Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta, The Pioneer Woman Lightens Up with Low Carb Recipes
Are You Ready To Firmly Plant Yourself
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If you’ve made this low fat Chicken Spaghetti Casserole, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
The Pioneer Woman Chicken Spaghetti Made Lighter
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chopped chicken breast
- 1-1/2 cups dry spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces and cooked until al dente
- 1 can low fat cream of chicken soup (I used Campbell's Healthy Request)
- 1-1/2 cups shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese (divided)
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped roasted red bell pepper (or pimentos)
- 1 cup low fat chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of the shredded cheese and all other ingredients. Stir together until everything is well mixed.
- Coat a casserole dish (affiliate link) with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the mixture in the casserole pan and then top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
- Bake until bubbly, 35 to 45 minutes. (If the cheese on top gets too brown, cover with foil.)
Notes
- No spaghetti? Substitute with your favorite pasta.
- No cream of chicken soup? Substitute cream of mushroom or celery or lowfat sour cream or nonfat Greek yogurt.
- No cheddar cheese? Substitute whatever cheese you have on hand.
- More vegetables? I think the addition of chopped cooked mushrooms, cauliflower and corn could all work.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
A note about WW Points
If you're following Weight Watchers, all the recipes here on Simple Nourished Living have been updated for the new WW program, with points displayed in the recipe card. The Check the WW Points link in the recipe card takes you to the Weight Watchers App where you can edit it using the WW recipe builder or add it to your day.
(Must be logged into WW account on a mobile device, such as smartphone or tablet).
More Weight Watchers Friendly Pasta Recipes
- Mediterranean Pasta with Chicken (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Turkey Sloppy Joe Pasta (EmilyBites)
- Sausage Pasta with Veggies (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Pasta with Chicken Sausage & Broccoli (SkinnyTaste)
- Baked Pasta with Zucchini & Cottage Cheese (Simple-Nourished-Living)
This recipe was delicious and will be going on my monthly rotation of meals to make! Loved it just the way it was written! No changes, no additions!
So happy to hear it!