Creamy Tomato Parmesan Pasta with Chicken

By gilligan1963

Ingredients

• 1 box (1 pound) Farfalle pasta
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cup half and half (3/4 cup milk + 3/4 cup cream)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups packed baby spinach
• 1 cup fresh or 1 can (rinsed and drained) diced tomatoes

Details

Adapted from skinnyfoodielife.tumblr.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Start to boil the water needed to cook the pasta. Cook pasta according to directions on the box.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add ground chicken, salt, oregano, and pepper. Cook until chicken is browned and fully cooked about 5 to 8 minutes. Move to a plate and cover with foil until ready to use.

3. Peel and finely chop garlic cloves. In the same pan as the chicken was cooked in, heat the remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garilc and a pinch of salt. Saute the garlic for 2 minutes.

4. To the garlic, add tomato paste and half and half (cream and milk) and stir to incorporate. Turn heat to low. Add parmesan to the sauce and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Finely chop spinach.

6. In a large bowl, add pasta, chicken, spinach and tomatoes. Pour the tomato cream sauce over. Stir to combine. The heat of the pasta and the sauce will cook the spinach. Plate, add extra Parmesan (shaved or grated), and serve.