Valley Eats: Chicken and Mushroom Pasta

Warm up a chilly evening with this satisfying, heart-healthy pasta meal. If you have some extra veggies in your fridge like zucchini, carrot or bell pepper, dice them up and throw in for an added flavor and nutrient boost!

Ingredients

• 2 ⅔ c. uncooked penne pasta (or other tube-shaped pasta and if it’s whole grain pasta, even better!)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• 12 oz. skinless, boneless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
• 3 c. white button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• ½ c. low-sodium chicken broth
• ¼ c. dry white wine (or chicken broth)
• 1 c. tomatoes, chopped (fresh or canned)
• ¼ c. fresh basil, shredded
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano
• ¼ c. shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook pasta in salted water, drain, and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the black pepper on chicken, then cook for 5 minutes or until center of chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.
3. Add rest of the oil to skillet with garlic, mushrooms and onions. Stir-fry until onions are just tender.
4. Pour in broth and wine, then bring to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until liquid is reduced to about half, stirring occasionally (about 5 to 10 minutes).
5. Remove skillet from heat. Add the pasta, chicken, tomatoes, basil and oregano; toss to coat.
6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Makes 6 servings

Each serving provides about 294 calories, 7 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 36 mg cholesterol, 225 mg sodium, 33 g total carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 0 g sugars, 22 g protein.