This dish is packed with protein. That’s because I used Skinny Pasta linguine, a frozen pasta by Gabriella’s Kitchen, which is Toronto-based, and that takes just a minute to cook in boiling water. There’s a whopping 13 grams of protein per serving (1/4 of a package), thanks to the soy protein isolate in the pasta, and just 120 calories. I made the dish with half the package, though, meaning those protein grams and calories are doubled. (Hey, protein is a good thing! Adults should get about 25 grams a day. And doubling this still means just 240 calories, not counting the ingredients I added…I did some pretty intense Pilates today!)
I used was antibiotic-free organic chicken breast that I marinated in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, herbes de provence and olive oil. I sautéed it, and this reduces the balsamic vinegar to a sweet-zesty delicious stickiness. (Mmmm.) The dish takes less than three minutes to make if the pasta water is boiling and you have pre-cooked the chicken. (Time-saving Tip: Sautee 4 chicken breasts at once and store it in the fridge or freezer for a variety of recipes.)
Here’s my recipe:
- 1/2 package Skinny Pasta linguine
- 1/2 breast of cooked balsamic chicken (To make: Marinate chicken in balsamic vinegar, dried herbs of your choice and olive oil for about an hour. Saute in a lightly oiled hot skillet until no longer pink inside, and slice.)
- 3 handfuls baby spinach and/or baby kale
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Bring the pasta water to a boil. Meanwhile, chop the tomato and saute it in the olive oil in a skillet. Add the spinach and/or kale, and the chicken slices. Drop the Skinny Pasta into the boiling water. One minute later, drain pasta–but first reserve a few spoonfuls of pasta cooking water–and add pasta and reserved water to the mixture in the skillet. Toss ingredients lightly, and transfer to pasta plate. Add salt and pepper, and hot chili flakes if desired, and enjoy.