I haven’t posted a recipe in a while, and we made something last night that was really yummy.  Or at least, I thought it was!  I won’t say that it’s especially light or anything, but it tastes damn good.

I don’t have a lot of pictures of the prep work and all that, simply because I didn’t make it. 😉  Whenever I can get my husband (Jason) to make a dish…I let him!  He’s a much better cook than I am, so I just floated in the pool, reading a book and having a little wine, while he slaved over the stove.  (Please note, I ran 8 miles yesterday, then came home and cleaned the house, and then weeded half the front landscaping. Did I mention that yesterday was one of the most humid days of the year??)  While I was enjoying my well-deserved pool time, Jamie and JJ played some form of “combat” game on the other side of the pool.  Thankfully, they’ve learned the art of attacking each other in the pool without splashing Mom. 😉

At one point in the evening, while I was lazily floating and reading, my husband came out to the deck and held up my arch-nemesis.

Yes, it’s true…I’m a pea-hater.  I’ve grown to like a lot of vegetables in my adult life, but peas will never be on that list.  It’s also a key ingredient in this recipe, and while I despise them, both my husband and Jamie enjoy them, and ever since I first found this recipe, Jason has loved to tease me about it.  Just like today, when he held up the bag of peas with a big smirk on his face and said, “You want extra of these, right?”  Jerk. 😛

I did not have extra, and in fact, he was smart enough to serve the peas the way he was supposed to…

…on the side.  😉  Of course, he still made JJ eat some, and then I felt guilty for making JJ eat peas when even I won’t, so, being a good mom, I put a few (very few) on my dinner and choked them down.  Thankfully, the yummy sauce managed to mask most of the disgusting-ness. 😉

Okay, okay, my hatred of peas aside, this is a really good meal.  The original version came from Six Sisters (where I get a lot of my recipes!), and when I first saw it, it looked interesting (peas notwithstanding).  It’s supposed to be a recreation of a dish from Bucca di Beppo, but since I’ve only eaten there once (and it wasn’t very memorable), I’m not familiar with any of their dishes.  This one had pasta (which I love), chicken (which I also love) and two kinds of sauces (what’s not to love?).   The recipes calls for using jarred alfredo and tomato sauce, and I decided to use my own, homemade sauce, of course, but I went with a light version of jarred alfredo sauce to save time and effort.

You only use a cup of the alfredo, and it gives it just enough flavor and richness to know you’re eating something besides straight tomato sauce.

I originally decided that I could live with the peas the first time we had it, but when I spent most of the time picking the peas out, I made a big deal about omitting the peas next time.  And, because my husband loves to give me grief, he always makes sure to joke about adding extra peas. 😛  For the final pictures, I put the peas on top, because, honestly, the contrast of the green to the red  is what makes this dish so pleasing to look at.

After a couple of pictures, I realized the dish needed more, so I asked Jamie to run out and grab some parsley from the garden while I searched the fridge for shredded (not grated) parmesan.  I was happy to find some, but when Jamie came back with the parsley, I was like, “What is that?!”  He answered, “Dad said it’s parsley!”  Ohhhhhhhhkkkkkaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy.  The world’s biggest stem of parley, clearly.

I think it took up half the plate. 😉   But still, with just those few additions, I think the final pictures turned out much better.

The final total of points for the recipe was 9 when it’s portioned into six servings, but it’s ten points if you put in the peas (another good reason not to! 😉 ).  I lessened the olive oil called for and I not only used light alfredo sauce, I used only half what the original recipe required.  Mine is probably not as saucy as theirs, but it was still very good!

I’m not sure how someone would count the tomato sauce…I use my own, which I know is full of nothing but vegetables and counts as only 1 point per serving.   In the Weight Watchers tracker, I plugged in “canned tomato sauce” and it came up as 0 points (though you know when you put stuff in a recipe, the vegetables and fruits are calculated for their actual fat/fiber/carb/protein content and therefore aren’t free).  So this may be off by a point or two, depending on what kind of tomato sauce you use, but I don’t think that’s going to be a deal-breaker. 😉

I hope you enjoy it…thanks for reading!

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

• 16 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes*
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cups light Alfredo sauce (I used Bertolli light)
• 2 cups marinara sauce (I used my homemade sauce)
• 1/2 cup cooked peas (OR NOT!!!!!!!)
• 1 lb (16 oz) rigatoni noodles, cooked al dente
• 2 tablespoons Brummel & Brown margarine
• Sprinkle of fresh Parmesan cheese
• A pinch of red pepper flakes for garnish (oops, I knew I forgot something…)

*I think 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes is a lot, especially if you’re serving picky kids. I would cut this in half if you have family members who don’t like things spicy.

Directions
In a large skillet on medium-high heat, heat one tablespoon of olive oil. Saute garlic, red pepper flakes, and pepper for 2-3 minutes. Add in the thin strips of chicken breast, the salt, and cook until chicken is cooked through, 5-8 minutes.

Add in marinara sauce and stir. Add in Alfredo sauce. Let the sauces simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add two tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup peas to the sauce mixture. Stir until the butter melts.

Combine the chicken and sauce mixture with the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Garnish with the fresh Parmesan cheese, and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes, if desired.

Serves: 6
PointsPlus: 10 with the peas, 9 without