New-Fashioned Chicken Alfredo
Our version of alfredo pasta takes advantage of plant-based ingredients, such as mushrooms, cashews, nutritional yeast and tahini to amp up the flavor and the nutrition. You can easily keep this recipe dairy-free by using almond milk or another non-dairy milk.
Photo: Photography by Jesse Lane Lee
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Ingredients
- 8 oz dry whole-grain penne pasta
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
- 2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup non-dairy or whole milk
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp each sea salt and ground black pepper
- 2 cups baby spinach
- Pinch red pepper flakes
Preparation
- In a pot of boiling water, prepare pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain.
- In a large skillet, heat oil. Add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add chicken and mushrooms; cook an additional 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare sauce: To a food processor, add cashews and garlic; pulse until minced. Add milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini, mustard, paprika, salt and pepper; process until smooth.
- In a large pot on medium, place spinach, cooked mushrooms and chicken. Pour sauce over spinach mixture; cook and stir until heated through and spinach is wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Add drained pasta to pot; heat and stir until combined, about 3 minutes. Serve with pepper flakes.
NOTE: If following our Meal Plan, refrigerate leftovers in containers and reheat when called for.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1/4 of recipe
- Calories 475
- Carbohydrate Content 56 g
- Cholesterol Content 43 mg
- Fat Content 15 g
- Fiber Content 5 g
- Protein Content 29 g
- Saturated Fat Content 2 g
- Sodium Content 290 mg
- Sugar Content 4 g