The sauce is the trick: three cups of spinach blended with a little cheese and pasta water into a creamy green coating that clings to the pasta. With chicken it’s 46g of protein for 387 calories — and it hides a serving of greens.

Saving the starchy pasta water is what makes the sauce cling instead of slide.

Ingredients

  • For the pasta
  • Whole-grain pasta — 85 g (about 1¼ cups) [P 12 C 62 F 3]
  • Salt — for the pasta water
  • For the spinach sauce
  • Spinach — 3 heaping cups [P 3 C 3 F 0]
  • Garlic — 2–3 cloves
  • Low-fat cheese — 2 tbsp (mozzarella) [P 4 C 1 F 3]
  • Light cream cheese — 1 tbsp [P 1 C 1 F 2]
  • Pasta water — ¼ cup (reserved)
  • For the chicken
  • Chicken breast — 2, ~180 g each raw [P 74 C 0 F 8]
  • Olive oil — ½ tsp (or spray)
  • Salt, pepper, paprika, chilli powder — to taste

Method

  1. Cook the pasta. Boil in salted water 7 minutes; reserve ¼ cup of the water, then drain.
  2. Blend the sauce. Blitz the spinach, garlic, cheese, cream cheese and pasta water smooth.
  3. Cook the chicken. Cube and pan-cook 8–10 minutes until done.
  4. Combine. Warm the sauce with the pasta on low 2–3 minutes until it thickens; plate with the chicken.

What to eat it with

  • Chilli flakes and a little feta — the author’s finish (optional).
  • A side salad.
  • Garlic bread — if you have the carbs.

Variations

  • Creamier: an extra tablespoon of light cream cheese.
  • Different green: kale works blended.
  • Lower carb: use a chickpea or lentil pasta.

Honest notes

  • Fibre: about 4g a serving, from the whole-grain pasta and spinach.
  • Chicken weight: written for ~180g raw breasts — see [Baked Chicken Breast].
  • Macros: reconcile with the per-serving 387 cal / 46g protein listed; no correction needed.