Chicken and Mushroom Pasta
Mushrooms have long been revered for their numerous health benefits, including boosting brain health, supporting healthy gut bacteria, and lowering cholesterol, among others. This delicious recipe combines simple white button mushrooms with savory chicken and fluffy pasta with a garlic-infused sauce for a balanced, nourishing meal filled with quality protein, healthy carbs, and sustaining fats.
If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes—or even if you haven’t—you may be under the impression that pastas are off limits. With some attention to serving size and recipe, everyone can enjoy pasta as part of a healthy diet. Our best tips include:
- Choose a high protein pasta like Barilla Protein Plus or a whole-wheat option for optimal nutrition, maximizing protein and fiber, which can help slow the release of sugar into your blood, stabilizing blood sugar.
- Think about portion size. A serving of pasta is 2 ounces of uncooked or one cup of cooked pasta. Another way to think about this is to keep the pasta part—the noodles—to no more than one quarter of your plate, filling the other quarter with protein and the larger half with veggies.
- Incorporate extra veggies and protein into your pastas—toss in some extra zucchini, summer squash or eggplant, and always pair with a high-quality protein like roasted chicken or seared shrimp.
- Pair your pastas with a vegetable-based side dish—things like roasted carrots, steamed broccoli, or a simple side salad.
Ingredients
Serves 6
- 16 oz rigatoni pasta or other tube-shaped pasta; choose a high-protein pasta (like Barilla Protein Plus or Banza) or a whole-wheat option for optimal nutrition
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 16 oz. Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- ¼ cup dry white wine (or substitute chicken broth)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 large handfuls of spinach
- 2 tbsp. fresh basil, shredded
- 1 tbsp. dried oregano
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup liquid, drain, and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the black pepper on the chicken, then cook for 5-10 minutes or until center of chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.
Add the remaining olive oil to skillet, along with the mushrooms, and shallots. Stir-fry until shallots are just tender. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.
Pour in reserved pasta water and wine, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until liquid is reduced to about half, stirring occasionally (about 5 to 10 minutes). Stir in heavy cream.
Remove skillet from heat. Add the pasta, chicken, spinach, basil, and oregano; toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition Facts
Serves 6
- 53 g carbohydrates
- 30 g protein
- 17 g fat