Healthy Recipe: Penne Pasta with Lemon Garlic Chicken

pasta

If you’re like me, you don’t want the process of making dinner to take one second longer than absolutely necessary! I made this healthy recipe for dinner the other night and not only was it a cinch to make, it was DELISH!! Keep in mind that I’m definitely not the world’s biggest pasta fan so for me to say that, you know it was good! 🙂

Penne Pasta with Lemon Garlic Chicken

  • 12 ounces brown rice penne
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 bulb roasted garlic, minced
  • 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 medium tomatoes (about 1/2 lb.) chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 cups fresh spinach
  • 1 lb. chicken tenderloins, cubed
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup marinara sauce
  • 1/3 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

  1. Cook penne according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
  2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add in garlic, lemon juice and red pepper flakes, cook for 2 minutes or until garlic begins to soften. Add chicken.
  3. Add in tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or so, until the tomatoes begin to lose their water.
  4. Remove from heat, add in spinach and cover skillet. Let spinach wilt for 2 minutes.
  5. In the meantime, in a bowl, combine the greek yogurt and the marinara sauce; whisk until smooth. Next, add the Parmesan cheese and stir until all the ingredients are well combined.
Remove lid and place skillet back over low heat. Add the penne and the pasta sauce mixture. Stir until sauce is mixed well and all pasta and veggies are coated. Heat until just warmed through. Dinner is DONE!!
This is some seriously good pasta people, no joke! I served it with steamed broccoli as well. YUM!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *