Creamy pasta is a favorite in our home, as I’m sure it is in many households. The rich heavy cream loaded with saturated fat together with the carb-laden pasta make for a powerful duo—that sure tastes amazing. But as a mom who cares about the health of her family, I feel a bit guilty making it, and often will opt for half-and-half instead of full-on heavy cream.
But that substitution can make the dish feel less than complete. One day, as I was cooking creamy pasta with half-and-half, I looked in the fridge to see if there was anything I could add to jazz it up, while making it a little healthier. And I found frozen chopped spinach on the door of my freezer; it was the perfect veggie to add!
Making creamy sauce with half-and-half, spinach, and chicken is a great way to incorporate protein, vitamins, and other nutrients to your diet without sacrificing flavor. Try this, and you will be making it over and over again!
Ingredients for Spinach Cream Pasta
- 1 lb Fettuccine pasta
- 1 lb Chicken breast
- 2 cups Half-and-half
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 4 tbsp Flour
- 10 oz Frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
Directions
Start by cooking the chicken breast on a lightly-greased preheated skillet on medium heat. You can lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken for 10 minutes, then turn it over and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Once finished cooking, remove the chicken from the pan and dice it into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
While the chicken is sizzling, boil 4 quarts of water in a pot. Once the water starts to boil, add some salt and put the pasta in. I used fettuccine pasta this time, but you are welcome to use any pasta of your choice. Cook according to the box instructions. (For reference, the fettuccine I used takes 12 minutes for al dente, and 13 minutes to be fully cooked.) Drain the pasta.
While the water is boiling and the chicken is cooking, prepare a half-cup of grated Parmesan cheese. You can be generous with the Parmesan and grate some extra for serving later. Or even more for enjoying as a snack—yum!
Next, it’s time to work on the cream sauce. First, make a roux by melting 4 tbsps of butter on a skillet over low-heat. Add 4 tbsps of all-purpose flour and quickly whisk the flour and butter together until lightly browned. To the roux, add 2 cups of half-and-half and 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan while stirring. If your chopped spinach was frozen loosely, you can directly add them to the sauce without thawing. However, if the frozen spinach is in the form of a block, it is best to thaw it in the microwave first before adding to the cream sauce. The sauce will thicken as it boils, so keep stirring until it reaches the right consistency, typically in about 3 minutes.
The last step of this spinach cream sauce is to add the cooked diced chicken in the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Even though this recipe uses half-and-half, instead of cream, it is still very rich and creamy!
Lastly, toss the pasta in the dreamy spinach cream sauce and serve with some extra Parmesan if you wish!
If you like this recipe, you might also like Favorite Pesto Chicken and Gnocchi. Subscribe via email or follow me on Instagram for the newest recipes from Sprinkle of Sesame!
Rich Creamy Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta fettuccine
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 4 tbsp butter salted
- 4 tbsp flour all-purpose
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup Parmesan grated
- 10 oz frozen chopped spinach thawed
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Cook the chicken breast on a lightly greased skillet on medium heat. Cook for 20 minutes, turning it halfway through the cooking process. Once cooked through, remove from the skillet and dice into bite-sized pieces.
- Bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to box instructions. Drain.
- In a large pan over low heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour until golden brown. Add half-and-half and Parmesan while stirring. Add thawed spinach and diced chicken. Continue to stir until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss pasta in the cream sauce. Serve.
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