This recipe was super easy to make- my husband helped me and we got this on the table within a half hour!
Here is the recipe: (note, this only serves 2 since there are only 2 of us- adjust recipe accordingly)
1 Chicken Breast
2 C. fresh spinach
Olive Oil
2 Garlic cloves, minced (or garlic salt/powder if you don't have fresh garlic on hand)
1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1/2 C. shredded white cheese (almost anything will work- I had an italian blend of parmesan, mozzarella, and romano on hand and used that) (you could use ricotta if you're into that)
Slice of cheese for top (I used mozzarella- again, most white cheeses will work here- provolone, white cheddar, american, or you could use your shredded cheese)
Pasta of your choice (I used whole wheat rotini)
Pasta sauce of your choice (I used Bertolli Tomato & Basil)
(seasoning of your choice- I used and italian seasoning, salt, and pepper)
Preheat oven to 350.
Use a food processor to finely chop your spinach into small pieces. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in pan. Add chopped onion and garlic and leave to saute for a few minutes, moving around so nothing gets burned!
Cut the chicken breast in half lengthwise so you have 2 long skinny pieces of chicken. (butterfly chicken and just cut the whole way through).
Place chicken between 2 pieces of wax paper and pound them out until they are fairly thin (or use a can of green beans like I did). Season both sides of the chicken with italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Add your spinach to the olive oil/onion/garlic mix. Continue to saute for a minute or two until your spinach starts to look 'wet' or cooked. Add the shredded cheese to the pan and mix until cheese is melted.
Place 1/2 spinach mixture on each piece of chicken. Cover the entire piece of chicken with mixture and then fold in half.
Place on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray and place in 350 degree oven. Let bake until juices run clear (15-20 minutes, they don't take long because they are thin pieces of chicken).
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions and heat up pasta sauce.
When chicken is done, place 1/2 slice mozzarella cheese on each piece of chicken and leave in the oven to melt.
Layer pasta, sauce, and then stuffed chicken breast and enjoy! We enjoyed this served with a green salad and garlic toast. This has been one of our favorite recipes so far and it was easy to make and relatively healthy!
