Chicken and Bacon Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes in Garlic Cream Sauce

What You'll Need

• two tablespoons olive oil
• one pound chicken (chicken breast or tenders)
• one teaspoon paprika
• one teaspoon Italian seasoning (thyme, oregano, basil - combined)
• five medium tomatoes, chopped in large cubes
• one cup cooked spinach
• five garlic cloves, minced
• one tablespoon crushed red pepper
• six bacon strips, COOKED, DRAINED OF FAT, AND CHOPPED
• one and one third cups half and half
• one and one third cups Parmesan cheese, shredded
• ten oz penne pasta (for gluten-free version, use gluten-free brown-rice penne, such as Tinkyada)
• one half cup Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving

How to Make It

1. In a large skillet, on high heat, heat two tsp of olive oil until hot.
2. Add chicken and cook on one side on high heat for one minute.
3. While it cooks, sprinkle the uncooked sides of the chicken with paprika and Italian seasoning.
4. Flip the chicken over, and cook on the other side for one minute on high heat.
5. Reduce heat to medium, flip chicken over again and cook, covered, for several minutes until no longer pink in the center.
6. Remove chicken from the pan and keep chicken warm.
7. To the same pan (but without chicken), add chopped tomatoes, spinach, garlic, crushed red pepper, 1/3 of the chicken (sliced into small strips) and half the bacon (already cooked and drained of fat).
8. Mix everything.
9. Add half and half and bring to boil.
10. Only after half and half starts boiling, add grated Parmesan cheese - immediately reduce to simmer and stir, while simmering, until the cheese melts and makes the sauce creamy, only about one minute (at most two minutes). Then, immediately remove from heat.
11. Season with more crushed red pepper and salt, if needed.
12. In the mean time bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta and cook it according to instructions.
13. Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water and drain again.
14. Add pasta to the skillet with the sauce.
15. Add remaining half of bacon (cooked and drained of fat). Season with more salt if necessary.
16. Slice the remaining 2/3 of chicken into thin strips.
17. To serve, top the pasta with chicken strips and grated Parmesan cheese.

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