Chicken Spinach Mushroom Artichoke Penne in a Lemon Cream Sauce

This was a quick dinner to make tonight.  I went very light on the lemon cream sauce.  You can add any vegetable you like, and even cutup skinless, boneless chicken breast.  I just happened to use what was on hand.  The pasta was Catelli Smart Pasta, which has a higher fibre content, but a good whole wheat pasta would work nicely in this.

Chicken Spinach Mushroom Artichoke Penne in a Lemon Cream Sauce

Serves 6

1 pound high fibre or whole wheat penne

1 pound ground chicken

1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 garlic clove, crushed

4 T butter

1/4 c flour

1/2 c skim milk

1 c reduced sodium chicken or vegetable stock

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 package frozen, cutup spinach

20 cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 can artichoke hearts in water

6 sundried tomatoes, sliced

*chopped, fresh parsley (optional)

*freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)

 

In a large pot of boiling water, add the penne and cook until al dente (about 10 min).  

 

Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook the chicken, adding the red pepper flakes and garlic, until chicken is no longer pink.  Drain all fat from chicken.  Wipe skillet clean of all fat.  

In same skillet, melt butter, and add flour, cooking it for about a minute on med-high heat.  Pour in the chicken stock and milk until it thickens.  Add the lemon zest and juice.  Add the chicken, spinach, mushrooms, artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes to the cream sauce.  Mix in the pasta, adding the pasta water if the sauce is too thick.

You can add chopped fresh parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese on top.

Nutrients per Serving (per one serving of recipe)

Calories (kcal)	526.8
Fat (g)	15.3
Protein (g)	27.8
Carbohydrate (g)	77.9
Sugar (g)	3.9
Fibre (g)	11.9