The Healthy My Ass Cookbook

Ziti con Pollo

A chicken, spinach, and pasta dish in a parmesan cream sauce.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Generously grease a 3 quart or larger casserole dish that has a cover (or use aluminum foil).  Bring enough water to cook the Ziti Macaroni as directed on the package to a boil.

Meanwhile, broil the Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts 10 - 15 minutes per side, until juices run clear and set aside to cool.  Steam the Spinach Leaves until wilted and set aside.  Add the water leftover from steaming the spinach to the water that will cook the ziti.  Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Cook the ziti until al dente and drain in a colander.  Melt the butter in the pot used to cook the ziti.  Press the Garlic into the melted butter using a garlic press and sauté for 2 minutes.  Add the wilted spinach, stir and sauté until heated through, about 3 minutes.  Add the drained ziti and cut chicken and toss to blend uniformly.

Beat the Egg and combine with the Heavy Cream, then pour it over the ziti mixture.  Add the Parmesan Cheese and mix well.  Season with Salt, Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, and Ground Nutmeg to taste.  Transfer to the casserole, cover and heat in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes until heated thoroughly.

Serve with additional parmesan cheese on the side.

Notes:

The original recipe called for two bunches of spinach, but now spinach either comes in bags or as loose leaves.  My internet search for the weight of a bunch of spinach ranged from 10 ounces to 1 pound each, but that's before trimming it down to just the leaves.  I settled on one pound of leaves as being the quantity that reminds me of what it looked like and tasted like back when I used two bunches.

The original recipe stated that after you add the spices, heat thoroughly, but do not cook, then serve immediately.

For convenience, I've been using one pound of ziti macaroni and 2 cups of heavy cream because that is how it is packaged.