Creamy, savory, and comforting, this Chicken & Spinach Pasta combines tender chicken, whole-grain pasta, plenty of spinach, and a lighter Parmesan cream sauce. It's designed to show that pasta can still have a place at the table—we're simply pairing it with protein, fiber, vegetables, and healthy fats to create a more balanced meal.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the Pasta & Chicken
- 8 oz whole-grain penne or rotini
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
- 5 oz fresh baby spinach, about 5 packed cups
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
For the Creamy Sauce
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ cup reserved pasta water, as needed
- Fresh parsley or basil for serving, optional
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the whole-grain pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water.
- Season the chicken. Toss the chicken with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt.
- Cook the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for approximately 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through to 165°F. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Start the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the minced garlic to the same skillet and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the chicken broth and milk. Add the Dijon mustard and Italian seasoning and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to gently simmer for approximately 3–4 minutes.
- Add the spinach. Stir in the spinach a handful at a time until wilted.
- Make it creamy. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the Parmesan.
- Remove the skillet from direct heat for a moment before stirring in the Greek yogurt. Keeping the temperature lower helps prevent the yogurt from separating.
- Bring everything together. Return the chicken to the skillet and add the drained pasta. Toss until everything is coated in the creamy sauce.
- Add reserved pasta water a tablespoon or two at a time until the sauce reaches your preferred consistency.
- Finish with black pepper, red pepper flakes, and fresh parsley or basil if desired.
🥗 Why This Meal Works
Yes, we're eating pasta. 🍝
Instead of trying to turn pasta into something it isn't, we're being intentional about how much we use and what we serve with it.
Protein: chicken + Greek yogurt + Parmesan
Fiber-rich carbohydrate: whole-grain pasta
Non-starchy vegetable: spinach
Healthy fat: olive oil
Flavor: garlic + Parmesan + herbs
Using 8 ounces of dry pasta for four servings gives each serving approximately 2 ounces of dry pasta before cooking. Rather than filling the entire bowl with noodles, chicken and spinach become substantial parts of the dish.
🥦 Want Even More Vegetables?
This recipe is easy to bulk up.
Try adding:
- Broccoli
- Mushrooms
- Zucchini
- Asparagus
- Bell peppers
- Artichoke hearts
My favorite combination would be spinach + mushrooms because the mushrooms work beautifully with the creamy garlic sauce.
🔄 Make It Your Own
More fiber: Choose a whole-grain pasta with a higher fiber content.
More protein and fiber: Try chickpea or lentil pasta. Keep in mind that these taste and cook differently from wheat pasta.
Dairy-free: Use an unsweetened dairy-free milk and appropriate dairy-free alternatives for the yogurt and Parmesan.
More sauce: Add additional broth rather than doubling the creamier ingredients.
Spicy: Increase the red pepper flakes.
Meal prep: Divide into four containers after cooling and refrigerate promptly. Add a splash of milk or broth before reheating if the sauce thickens.
💚 Eat Against Resistance Tip
Pasta isn't the problem we're trying to solve—the composition of the meal is what we're paying attention to.
Rather than eating a large bowl consisting primarily of pasta and sauce, we're pairing a moderate portion of whole-grain pasta with a substantial amount of chicken and vegetables.
That's the philosophy behind Eat Against Resistance: don't automatically eliminate the carbohydrate. Build a better meal around it.
Individual nutritional needs and blood-glucose responses vary. Eat Against Resistance provides recipes and general nutrition information and isn't a substitute for individualized medical or professional nutrition advice.
Making insulin resistance easier, one meal at a time. 💚