I know, I know–this is supposed to be a healthyish blog, and here I am handing you a recipe that has cream in it. And butter. And freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Trust me, I haven’t sold my soul (or yours).
I seriously debated whether to put this recipe on my blog because a recipe with heavy cream just didn’t seem consistent with my goal of helping you and your family eat healthier. I ultimately decided to post it for four reasons:
- The nutritional breakdown is decent for a main dish served with healthy sides (read: carrots and grapes, not mashed potatoes and gravy 🙂 )
- It’s delicious!
- It’s easy and quick to prepare
- Anything that gets my kids excited about eating broccoli and cauliflower is totally worth sharing
My kids love this dish. When I haven’t made it in a while, they kind of get on my case about it. Even my husband, who isn’t a fan of cauliflower, is always happy to see this meal on our table.
I won’t deny that there are some little Hendricksons who like to eat all the noodles and chicken, and leave the veggies sitting forlornly at the bottom of their bowls. With those munchkins in mind, I always chop a few pieces of broccoli and cauliflower up into tiny bits before adding them to the pan. I do that partly so my kidlets get their vitamins, but also so it’s harder for them to take a bite of creamy, garlicky, cheesy goodness without getting some veggies into their mouth too (and they learn that THAT’S OKAY). I also use rotini pasta in this dish because the shape traps some of those little veggie bits (‘cuz I’m sneaky like that).
Now, a word or two about cheese. This is a recipe where you really do want to go buy a wedge of good Parmesan and grate it yourself. Freshly grated Parmesan gives this dish a light, subtly flavored sauce. If you use the powdery version in the green can, it gives the dish a grainy texture and a distractingly strong flavor. I’ve also tried using pre-grated Parmesan shreds, and they inexplicably congealed into a tough, stringy wad of cheese as soon as I stirred them in. Yeah, not trying THAT again.
Seriously, freshly grated Parmesan is the way to go here. Trader Joe’s sells a store-brand variety that has good flavor for a decent price. Try it in this recipe, then grate some over your minestrone soup or any pasta dish you like. You won’t look back.
- 2 cups uncooked spiral pasta (I use Barilla White Fiber Rotini)
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 package (16oz) frozen broccoli-cauliflower blend, thawed
- ½ cup half and half (or heavy whipping cream)
- 1 scant teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil, then sauté chicken and garlic until chicken is no longer pink. Add the vegetables and cream; cook until vegetables are tender. Stir in salt and pepper.
- Drain pasta and add to skillet, then stir in Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
If you don't have cream on hand or just don't want to use it, you can substitute whole milk. The sauce's texture won't be quite as luxurious, but it will still be pretty good.
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