Spinach-y Creamy Chicken Pasta

Right now I am feeling good. I have a child who eats (and likes!) spinach. But even as I bask in this glow, I know it will fade the second I try to push my luck and add some cauliflower to the mix. Soon I will be right back to sour faces, gagging noises and overdramatic threats over one piece of a plain white vegetable. But for now, I will embrace this good feeling of getting vegetables into a vegetable desert. While I’m feeling this good feeling, I’m going to go ahead and share the creamy, cheesy, spinach filled recipe that got me to this happy place. I hope it does the same for you.

Creamy Chicken and Spinach Pasta

Prep Time: 10 min | Total Time: 40 minutes | Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized chicken breasts, cut into small pieces (more or less to taste)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 ounces (about 2 cups) fresh spinach
• 1 8 oz. jar roasted red peppers, diced
• 8 oz. (1/2 box) angel hair pasta, broken in half
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons oil or unsalted butter
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt butter or add oil over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to skillet, cooking for 5-7 min or until no longer pink
2. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until you have a fine garlic smell
3. Once garlic and chicken are cooked, add chicken broth, pasta and red peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and allow to cook for 5-7 minutes or until pasta is cooked to your preference and most of the broth has evaporated
4. Remove cover and add heavy cream and spinach. Add the spinach by the handful as it starts out quite large in size but wilts very quickly. Mix well and allow all spinach to wilt
5. Remove from heat and add Parmesan cheese, mixing well to incorporate the cheese
6. Enjoy this rich and hearty dish that takes almost no time to make! Pair it with a good bread and some additional Parmesan cheese for a bit of extra flair!