Chicken Florentine

It's no secret that I enjoy pasta. I'm Italian. It's practically in my DNA.  So any time I can find a fun, relatively not-fattening recipe with pasta, I get pretty excited.

And, according to this website, Italians are also especially fond of spinach. I'm not incredibly a huge fan of the leafy greens (except in this dish, or in a spinach and artichoke dip...coming up soon, post Super Bowl).  But this recipe was especially tasty. I've made it a few times...but over the course of a few tries, I've altered the recipe to suit my tastes better (my recipe is NOT the recipe posted on the website above).  So, without further ado...Chicken Florentine.

Ingredients

2 cups pasta (use whole grain...it's better for you, and it's more filling)
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cubed
1/4 onion, chopped
1 package (6.5oz) light semi-soft garlic and herb cheese spread (Alouette is amazing)
2 cups fat-free milk
1 tbsp flour
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (reduced fat, preferably)
2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

1. Cook pasta according to package, but do not add any salt. Drain but do not rinse.

2. While pasta is cooking, spray skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, cook chicken and onion for four to six minutes (or until chicken is no longer pink and onion is tender). If the onion browns too quickly, reduce heat.

3. Remove skillet from heat, and stir in the semi-soft cheese until completely melted.

4. In a bowl, whisk milk and flour together until smooth. Add the mixture to the chicken. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently.

5. After sauce is thickened, reduce heat to low. Stir in cheddar cheese until melted. Toss in pasta, and cook for another two minutes, until heated through.

6. Stir in spinach and top with cherry tomatoes.

Enjoy!

PointsPlus value: 11 (yields approximately 5 servings)