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Chicken and Bacon Florentine Pasta

July 22, 2010 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom 10 Comments

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Every had one of those super productive days…only to forget one very important thing on your to-do list.

That thing: Make dinner.

Eeps! That’s what happened to me tonight. I scurried around all day, catching up on Mt. Washmore (yes, we have been home for 10 days and I still haven’t caught up on laundry from the Savvy Blogging Summit!), helping the boys with a new puzzle and reading their new book to them approximately 18 times, answering emails, making important behind-the-scenes decisions, picking up little pieces of fuzz from the floor that Tyler seems to be so attracted to these days, watering the garden, building tents and forts with sheets, chairs and couch cushions, send out a few tweets, maybe a facebook status update…

So I look up at the clock…5:25.

What?!? How’d that happen?!

Thankfully, I had some diced grilled chicken in the freezer, some cooked turkey bacon in the freezer, along with a box of frozen spinach. And in the time that it took to cook the pasta, I had the chicken, bacon and spinach thawed, warmed and ready to toss with the pasta. I even had a second to grab some fresh basil, oregano and thyme from the garden…just enough to give the additional umph to the pasta!

So what’s missing from this here florentine pasta…a cream sauce! I went for the lower cal (and easier) drizzle of olive oil. 🙂 And I’m glad I did!

Loved the light-ness of the dish, the flavor boost from the garden herbs, and the smokiness of the grilled chicken. Now, enjoy!

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Chicken and Bacon Florentine Pasta

Loved the light-ness of the dish, the flavor boost from the garden herbs, and the smokiness of the grilled chicken. Now, enjoy!
Prep Time10 minutes minutes
Cook Time20 minutes minutes
Servings - 4 servings

Ingredients 

  • 1 lb. pasta noodles
  • 2 cups grilled, diced chicken
  • 4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 10 ozl box frozen spinach
  • fresh basil, oregano, thyme from the garden
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Cook the pasta as directed on package. Drain well.
  • Cook bacon and chicken, if necessary.
  • Cook the spinach according to package instructions.
  • Wash and chop basil, oregano and thyme from the garden.
  • Toss all the ingredients together with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve Chicken and Bacon Florentine Pasta.

Need more than this one-dish meal? Add a garden salad.

Got a plethora of tomatoes from the garden? Use those instead of canned.

Want a creamier pasta? Thin some sour cream with some milk and replace that with the olive oil.

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Filed Under: Budget Friendly Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Dairy Free Meal Ideas, Grill Recipes, Pasta Recipes, Recipes from the Garden Tagged With: spinach

Comments

  1. Jennifer says

    July 22, 2010 at 5:43 pm

    Oh how I can relate! Doing everything known to man and then forgetting one teensy detail — dinner. Arggh. Great post!

    Reply
  2. Dana McCleland says

    July 22, 2010 at 6:14 pm

    Sounds so yummy!! Wish we were having that instead of sloppy joes!!!

    Reply
  3. Cupcake Mommie (Jessica) says

    July 22, 2010 at 8:52 pm

    We are loving the available grilled chicken–right from the freezer. I threw together grilled chicken, veggies, and lettuce with dressing and we had at it! It was so good. The chicken tastes like it is right off the grill!

    Reply
  4. Toddler Boy Clothing says

    July 22, 2010 at 10:05 pm

    That looks delicious! Again, you take great pictures!

    Reply
  5. Angela says

    July 22, 2010 at 10:21 pm

    Sounds good! But I will, alas, have to substitute the “real thing” in the bacon department. I tried out some turkey bacon on my bacon-loving 9-year-old. He says he can’t eat it; calls it “junk strips”! Still makes me laugh.

    Reply
    • Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says

      July 23, 2010 at 7:33 pm

      @Angela,

      That is too funny Angela!!!

      Reply
  6. lynn @ Maven of Savin says

    July 23, 2010 at 11:19 am

    OMG!! How easy – I am so excited to try this – I have all those things – WOOO HOOO!! The 5:25pm thing is ME everyday…

    Reply
  7. FoodontheTable says

    July 23, 2010 at 11:49 am

    Great recipe! You can’t go wrong with spinach & bacon.

    Reply
    • Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says

      July 23, 2010 at 7:32 pm

      @FoodontheTable,

      That’s right! 1 of my favorite flavor combinations!

      Reply
  8. Stephanie says

    September 26, 2010 at 1:31 pm

    This sounds awesome! I think I am going to try it on my Oct menu plan, and maybe toss in some crumbled Feta since those Mediterranean flavors all play so nicely together.

    Reply

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