A Cheesy Chicken Veggie Pasta Skillet! Here is an exquisite recipe for this delightful dish from Emily Bites:
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can of diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained
- 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
- 1 (16-ounce) package rotini pasta
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 (8-ounce) package shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground chicken or turkey and cook until browned, breaking it apart with a spoon as it cooks. Drain any excess grease.
- Incorporate the onion and bell pepper into the skillet and sauté until softened, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Mix in the diced tomatoes (with their juices), black beans, corn, diced tomatoes with green chilies, chicken broth, and rotini pasta. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the pasta is thoroughly cooked.
- Remove from the heat and blend in the shredded cheddar cheese and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately.
To calculate the Weight Watchers points for this recipe, we’ll need to look up the point values for each ingredient. Below are the ingredients and their approximate point values per serving for six servings:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil: 4 points
- 1 pound ground chicken or turkey: 12 points (lean ground turkey/chicken)
- 1 medium onion: 0 points
- 1 red bell pepper: 0 points
- 2 cloves garlic: 0 points
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes: 0 points
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans: 0 points
- 1 (15-ounce) can corn: 6 points
- 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies: 0 points
- 1 (16-ounce) package rotini pasta: 32 points (whole wheat or regular)
- 4 cups chicken broth: 0 points (fat-free, low sodium)
- 1 (8-ounce) package shredded cheddar cheese: 32 points (reduced-fat)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro: 0 points
- Salt and pepper to taste: 0 points
Total points for the entire recipe: 4 (olive oil) + 12 (ground chicken/turkey) + 6 (corn) + 32 (rotini pasta) + 32 (cheddar cheese) = 86 points
Points per serving (assuming 6 servings): 86 / 6 = approximately 14.3 points per serving
Therefore, each serving of this dish is roughly 14 Weight Watchers points.