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I love pasta and can’t imagine a life without it. Creamy pastas are something both my husband and I adore, but they can be really high in fat and calories.
But there are ways to make creamy pasta sauces that are lighter and healthier. All it takes is a little know-how. That’s where this recipe from Pam Anderson’s, The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great comes in.
Ingredients
- Dried pasta
- Broccoli florets
- Chicken broth
- 2% evaporated milk
- Minced garlic
- Butter
- All-purpose flour
- Parmesan cheese
- Shredded cooked chicken breast
- Canned petite diced tomatoes
- Fresh basil
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Creamy Pasta with Spicy Chicken, Broccoli and Basil
Step 1: Gather and prepare all ingredients.
Step 2: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook according to the package instructions, until al dente. Add the broccoli during the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Before draining the pasta, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.
Step 3: While the water is coming to a boil and the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. To speed up the process, place the broth, milk, and garlic in a 1-quart glass measuring cup or small microwaveable bowl and heat until steamy, 3 to 4 minutes, then let stand for a couple of minutes.
Step 4: Place the butter in a large sauce pan over low heat. When the butter melts, whisk in the flour, then the hot broth mixture, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 5: Stir in the shredded Parmesan cheese. Add the shredded chicken, tomatoes, basil and crushed red pepper flakes and stir until combined.
Step 6: Add salt and pepper to taste, and then simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
Step 7: Add the drained pasta back to the pasta pot and pour over the cream sauce and enough of the reserved pasta cooking water to coat and moisten the pasta. Toss and serve immediately with a light sprinkling of additional grated Parmesan, if desired.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Pasta?
According to my calculations, each serving has about 396 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
Recipe Notes
Instead of loads of butter and cream, low fat evaporated milk and chicken broth thickened with a little butter and flour is used to make a nice satisfying rich and creamy tasting sauce.
This lighter creamy pasta with spicy chicken, broccoli, and basil is easy to make too, requiring just 2 pots and coming together in about 35 minutes. It’s a great way to use up leftover chicken.
I once used a fancy mushroom linguini from the farmers market because it’s what was in the pantry, but any dried pasta will work.
If you’ve made these lightened up low calorie Lighter Creamy Pasta with Spicy Chicken, Broccoli and Basil, 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.
Creamy Pasta with Spicy Chicken, Broccoli, and Basil
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dried pasta
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup 2% evaporated milk
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1-1/2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
- 1/2 cup drained canned petite diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook according to the package instructions, until al-dente. Add the broccoli during the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Before draining the pasta, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.
- While the water is coming to a boil and the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. To speed up the process, place the broth, milk, and garlic in a 1-quart glass measuring cup or small microwaveable bowl and heat until steamy, 3 to 4 minutes, then let stand for a couple of minutes.
- Place the butter in a large sauce pan over low heat. When the butter melts, whisk in the flour, then the hot broth mixture, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in the Parmesan.
- Add the shredded chicken, tomatoes, basil and crushed red pepper flakes and stir.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and then simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Add the drained pasta back to the pasta pot and pour over the cream sauce and enough of the reserved pasta cooking water to coat and moisten the pasta. Toss and serve immediately with a light sprinkling of additional grated Parmesan, if desired.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 10 PointsPlus (Old WW plan)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great by Pam Anderson.
It would be helpful if you would put the “My WW”(blue,green, and purple) smartpoint values and portion size(which are often not included in your other recipes) . I understand that you are not affiliated with WW, but if you are putting WW friendly recipes in your blog, the above information is important.. Thanks