Doin' Some Cookin'... Chicken Linguine Carbonara

A holiday dinner the night before a Sunday morning weigh in is a tough one for me. Especially when the dish I have in mind is carb and fat heavy. But not this time. I healthified this dish as best able.  

Pasta carbonara is a rich Italian pasta that is made with bacon, eggs, and loads of cheese. To help clean up this dish's act while not compromising on flavor I made a few subtle substitutions. Swapping bacon for Canadian bacon, using one egg, and only a smallish mound of cheese. To make this even healthier I used whole wheat pasta but you could also use zucchini noodles too if that's your thing. The best part, aside from the healthier version is this takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. 

If you are like me and you love a themed dinner... light some candles at the coffee table for ambiance, set Netflix to the movie Heartburn, cozy up with a bowl of this pasta and watch as (spoiler alert!) the couple enjoy pasta carbonara on their first date. 

And for dessert... You can feel better about following up a bowl of pasta with root beer floats for your little Valentine by substituting diet root beer and fat free vanilla ice cream... Be sure to keep it full fat for the little ones, they deserve the treat.

Chicken Linguine Carbonara

Adapted From: MyRecipes.com

Makes 2 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 4 oz uncooked whole wheat linguine
• 1/2 cup lowfat milk
• 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• dried parsley, to taste
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• cooking spray
• 1/3 cup Canadian bacon, chopped
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 6 oz cooked chicken breast
• 1 broccoli crown, stems removed and cut into bite size pieces
• 1 tbsp olive oil

And Action:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lay broccoli on a baking sheet and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes while the pasta is cooking. Stir to turn the broccoli and bake 10 more minutes.

Cook pasta according to package to directions, omitting the salt and fat. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.

Combine milk, parmesan cheese, parsley, onion powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk, set aside.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium- high heat coated with the cooking spray. Add the Canadian bacon and saute until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and heat until warmed through. Add the garlic and reduce the heat to medium low. Add the milk mixture and pasta to the pan. Toss gently to coat. 

Place egg in a small bowl and whisk. Add the frozen peas to the pasta. Gradually add the 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Tempering the egg will keep the sauce creamy and prevent it from curdling. Gradually add the egg mixture to the pan stirring constantly, cook for 4 minutes or until the sauce is thick and creamy.