Farfalle With Chicken, Mushrooms, Spinach and Ricotta Cheese

Manami's Note:

This is a nice light pasta - the sauce isn't heavy (or, really, very saucy at all) and the ricotta makes it just a touch creamy. It's also quite healthy. This is one of those recipes that can be made quickly with what you have in the kitchen! Instead of overdoing the pasta - we used whole wheat pasta & bulked it up with veggies and lean chicken breast. The finished dish is very eye appealing and tastes marvelous! ellysaysopa.com. :)

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• ½ lb whole wheat farfalle pasta or ½ lb other pastas
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb chicken breast , cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 ½ onions , diced
• 4 garlic cloves , minced
• ½ lb cremini mushrooms or ½ lb button mushroom , sliced
• ¼ cup dry vermouth or ¼ cup white wine or ¼ cup chicken broth
• 28 ounces diced tomatoes (partially drained but some liquid reserved)
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
• 2 pinches red pepper flakes
• 1 (3 ounce) packagebaby spinach or 1 (3 ounce) package frozen spinach , thawed & drained
• ½ cup low-fat ricotta cheese

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Add salt, and then add the farfalle.
3. Cook until al dente.
4. Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and add the oil.
5. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and, once the oil is hot, add the chicken to the pan; brown on all sides, and then add the onions and cook for a minute or two.
6. Stir in the mushrooms, garlic, and some salt and pepper.
7. Sauté until all vegetables are tender.
8. Increase the heat to medium high and add the vermouth.
9. Cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated, and then stir in the diced tomatoes (and a few tablespoons of juice), red pepper flakes, parsley, oregano, basil, and salt & pepper to taste.
10. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to medium-low, simmering until the flavors have developed (and chicken has cooked through).
11. Add the spinach and cook until wilted down, about 2-3 minutes.
12. Season to taste.
13. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to coat.
14. Off the heat, stir in the ricotta cheese.

Reviews

[DurangoJudy]

A recipe similiar to what I've played with in the past, but never added the cheese. Very good. Needs a just a little more zip, but not sure what.