Soften red pepper, onion and garlic, then blend them with a little cheese into a sweet, creamy orange sauce. Over pasta with chicken it’s 44.5g of protein for 418 calories, and the same sauce is great on its own.

Cooking the peppers down first is what makes the sauce sweet instead of sharp.

Ingredients

  • For the pasta
  • Whole-grain pasta — 85 g [P 12 C 62 F 3]
  • Salt — for the pasta water
  • For the red pepper sauce
  • Red bell pepper — 1 medium, sliced [P 1 C 7 F 0]
  • Onion — 1 medium, sliced [P 1 C 7 F 0]
  • Garlic — 3 cloves
  • Low-fat cheese — ¼ cup (mozzarella) [P 9 C 2 F 6]
  • Pasta water — ¼ cup (reserved)
  • For the chicken
  • Chicken breast — 2, ~180 g each raw [P 74 C 0 F 8]
  • Olive oil — 1½ tsp total (or spray)
  • Salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder — to taste

Method

  1. Cook the pasta. Boil 7 minutes in salted water; reserve ¼ cup water, then drain.
  2. Soften and blend. Cook the pepper, onion and garlic 3–4 minutes until soft, then blend with the cheese and pasta water until smooth.
  3. Cook the chicken. Season, pan-cook 6 minutes a side, then cube.
  4. Combine. Toss the pasta, sauce and chicken in the pan.

What to eat it with

  • Chilli flakes — for heat.
  • A side salad.
  • Extra veg — stir in spinach or mushrooms.

Variations

  • Creamier: add 1 tbsp light cream cheese.
  • Spicier: blend in a pinch of chilli.
  • Sauce for later: double it — it’s great on other pastas.

Honest notes

  • Fibre: about 5g a serving, from the pasta and peppers.
  • Chicken weight: written for ~180g raw breasts — see [Baked Chicken Breast].
  • Macros: reconcile with the per-serving 418 cal / 44.5g protein listed; no correction needed.