Baked Chicken Parmesan Pasta
You may see a bit of a pasta influx on my blog…the reason being that since I started dieting in October, I was pretty much completely “off” pasta. I had the odd serving of whole wheat pasta now and then, but I tried to stay away from it as much as possible because it’s one of my danger foods. Meaning, if I get my hands on it, I have a VERY hard time eating less than about a million pounds of it.
However, as I mentioned in this post, I discovered low-carb pasta about a month ago. A whole new world has opened up to me! Of course, that doesn’t mean that I eat pasta every day, but I can have it a lot more often without feeling guilty about it (as long as I maintain the correct portion size). As I close in on the 40-pounds-lost mark and my goal weight (four pounds to go!), I can safely say that staying away from pasta and my other danger foods—or at least modifying/eating less of them—has been worth it. Now, I know what works for me and what doesn’t, and I can be a bit less strict with myself.
That said, I’ve developed a passion for creating my own recipes—healthier versions of foods I love—that I don’t think will go away once I stop dieting and start maintaining weight. This recipe is one of my own creation, and came from three simple thoughts on a weeknight after work:
- I want pasta.
- I have a brand new jar of light marinara sauce.
- I want some protein, not just pasta and sauce.
I originally thought I’d make chicken parmesan, but that just seemed boring as I make it all the time and I’ve made a couple posts about its various iterations too. I decided to make it into a baked pasta dish, and it turned out to be a very good idea indeed. It’s really simple to make, and darn tasty.
If you can’t find low-carb pasta, another healthier alternative to regular pasta is whole wheat pasta. You’ll still get plenty of carbs, but you’ll also have a good bit of fiber to lessen the effect on your blood sugar and whatnot. You can also use regular pasta and regular cheese, sauce, etc. if you’re not watching your waistline—more power to you!
This dish can also easily be vegetarian. Just leave out the chicken!
Baked Chicken Parmesan Pasta
Serves 4
8 oz. low-carb pasta (such as Dreamfields)
2 cups light marinara sauce (I use Ragu light tomato & basil)
8 oz. boneless, skinless, chicken breast
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup low-fat or fat-free mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Italian blend cheese
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cook your pasta until it’s a bit underdone—slightly short of al dente. At the same time, cook your chicken until it’s cooked through. You can do this on the stove, on a grill, use leftover chicken, whatever you prefer. I used my countertop grill.
4) While both of those are cooking, prepare your sauce. Heat your teaspoon of oil in a saucepan. Mince your garlic and sautee it in the oil for a minute or two until it’s slightly brown.
5) Add your 2 cups of marinara sauce in with your garlic and give it a stir. Let it simmer on a medium-low heat until it starts bubbling.
6) Then, add half of both of your cheeses (1/2 cup of mozzarella, 1/8th cup of Italian blend). Stir them around until they start melting a little.
7) Stir in your cooked pasta. Then, when your chicken is done cooking, cut it into bite-size pieces and stir it in as well.
8) Prepare an 8x8” square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in your pasta mixture. Top with the rest of your mozzarella and Italian cheeses. Put it in the oven for 15 minutes.
9) After 15 minutes, take out your pasta and switch your oven to broil. Top the pasta with your panko and grated parmesan, then place back in the oven just for a couple of minutes until the top gets slightly browned and toasty.
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I apologize that my photos aren’t super comprehensive this time…it was a bit of an afterthought to photograph this for the blog!
You can leave out this step if you’re not a garlic fan, but if that’s the case, then why do you read my blog? I am a garlic FIEND! Just barely brown your garlic. This will slightly toast it and give the sauce an extra toasty, garlic-infused kick.
The whole purpose of this step is to heat up the sauce so it will melt the cheese and save you some oven time.
Add in your cheese. Fat-free cheese, while wonderful in many respects, isn’t known for its melting. That’s why I added the full-fat Italian blend cheese (a lesser amount) just to give it some extra gooiness. Going with a reduced fat mozzarella cheese would be just fine and would probably give you more of a melt factor. And if you’re not on a diet or don’t believe in fat-free foods, then use regular cheese by all means.
Stir in your pasta and chicken.
Put the mixture in your prepared baking dish and top with the rest of your cheese. This is where the meltiness of the full-fat cheese is important, so if you want to save all of your full-fat cheese for the top, I’d fully support that.
Bake for fifteen minutes, then take it out. Mmm. I love how the cheese gets melty AND toasty on the top. Delicious!
Top with panko and parmesan. The reason for this is that a crunchy breading is essential to any chicken parmesan recipe, and this is chicken parmesan pasta, is it not? Adding the parmesan gives it an extra layer of cheesy, nutty flavor without adding a lot of extra calories.
Put it under the broiler just for a couple of minutes Until the topping gets nice and brown and toasty. Just don’t leave it unattended or it’ll burn and that won’t be any fun at all!
Serve with a nice, crispy salad and you’re good to go. The recipe makes four good-sized servings and it’s a very hearty dish. I’m definitely going to be making this one again!
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
*Calculated using Dreamfields pasta, Ragu Light marinara sauce, and fat-free mozzarella cheese. Any substitutions or modifications will affect these.
Calories: 425
Fat: 5g
Carbs: 26.6g (effective carbohydrate)
Sugar: 10.5g
Fiber: 7.2g
Protein: 32.2g
