Heyyy guys! So last minute yesterday I decided to make some Alfredo pasta for dinner, but with a little twist. As briefly mentioned, this was not planned, but lately while in quarantine, I find myself cooking more and more which is a good and bad thing lol. Using what I already had in the fridge from stocking up on food while in quarantine due to Covid-19, I was able to make this delicious meal. With that being said, if you’re looking for a quick and easy dish that will be satisfying and somewhat healthy lol this is it! The deets on this dish are below.
Ingredients:
- 1 box of penne pasta
- 1 1/2 lb of chicken breast (cooked and sliced 1/4 in thick)
- 1 lb of shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 bag of spinach (3 handfuls)
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 12 cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 can chicken broth (or 1 cup)
- 1 pint of heavy cream
- 1 bag (8 oz) shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese blend
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cajun or creole seasoning
- 1 1/2 tsp of parsley flakes
Prep: 15 minutes
- Clean, season, and cook your chicken breast in a skillet and set aside. My chicken seasoning includes 1 tsp of each: sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and Mrs. Dash original blend. This can also be done a day ahead.
- Rinse, devein, and season your shrimp and set aside. My shrimp seasoning includes 1 tsp of each: cajun or creole seasoning, black pepper, onion and garlic powder
- Prepare your produce: chop your onion, mince your garlic, slice your tomatoes and wash and tear your spinach and set aside
Instructions: 20 minutes
- Cook your penne pasta as instructed on the packaging (bring about 4-6 cups of water to boil and make sure to season your water with about 1-2 tbsp of salt). Save about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water to add to the Alfredo sauce later.
- In a large deep non-stick skillet or whatever you have on low/medium heat, add the olive oil and sautée all of your produce (except the garlic) that was already prepped until tender. After the spinach has fully wilted down add the minced garlic.
- Next add in your butter allowing it to meltdown; then add in your flour and stir until dissolved. (this will help thicken up our Alfredo sauce).
- Now we can add in our heavy cream, chicken broth and starchy pasta water (that we saved earlier) and stir the base of our creamy sauce.
- At this stage we can add in all of our seasonings and cheese for flavor. Then, add in your cooked chicken breast and shrimp (stir again).
- Finally add in and stir your penne pasta and let simmer on low heat with the lid on for about 5-10 minutes, so that everything can marry together and then your all done.
- Allow to cool down for about 5-10 minutes before serving. This is optional: when serving, add a little grated parmesan cheese and parsley flakes on top to give your plate a restaurant quality finished look.
Hope you enjoy! Let me know how it turned out in the comments.