Skinny Bacon, Chicken and Asparagus Penne

My favorite dishes all usually have one thing in common: pasta.

I love me some pasta.

Shells. Lasagna. Spaghetti.

But my favorite of all favorites has to be Alfredo.

You can get the jarred Alfredo sauce, but ehhhhhh. It’s not the same. You need homemade sauce. It’s creamy and cheesy and delicious. And luckily making homemade sauce only takes a few minutes to make. And even LUCKIER is that I have a lightened up version ready for you.

And it’s so delicious and awesome ….. you would never know!

Now, I will admit this recipe has a few steps, but nothing difficult. And the end result is SO worth it. It’s one of my favorite recipes to make and a dinner that is requested A LOT in our house!

(Don’t forget to pin!)

Skinny Bacon, Chicken and Asparagus Penne Pasta

Print Recipe

Creamy and cheesy – you would never guess that this Alfredo has been lightened up! With the smokiness of the bacon, Italian chicken and delicious asparagus this is sure to be a new favorite dinner that will be requested time and time again!

• CoursesMain Dish
• CuisinesItalian

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Skinny Bacon, Chicken and Asparagus Penne Pasta   Print Recipe Creamy and cheesy – you would never guess that this Alfredo has been lightened up! With the smokiness of the bacon, Italian chicken and delicious asparagus this is sure to be a new favorite dinner that will be requested time and time again! CoursesMain Dish CuisinesItalian Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 
  1 pound
  
  boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 
  1 tbsp
  
  olive oil
• 
  1 tsp
  
  basil
• 
  1/2 tsp
  
  dried thyme
• 
  1/4 tsp
  
  salt
• 
  1/4 tsp
  
  pepper
• 
  12 ounces
  
  penne pasta
• 
  1 pound
  
  asparagus ends trimmed, steamed and cut into pieces
• 
  1 1/2 tbsp
  
  butter
• 
  2 tbsp
  
  all purpose flour
• 
  2 cloves
  
  garlic minced
• 
  1 3/4 cup
  
  milk
• 
  1/4 cup
  
  heavy cream
• 
  3 ounce
  
  Neufchatel cheese (light cream cheese) diced
• 
  1/3 cup
  
  shredded Parmesan cheese
• 
  5 slices
  
  bacon cooked and crumbled

Servings:

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, stir together basil, oregano, thyme and 1/4 salt and pepper. Sprinkle half of the herb mixture evenly over tops of chicken. Add chicken to skillet, herbed side down, then add remaining herb mixture to the top of the chicken. Cook until fully cooked through, about 8 – 12 minutes. Let the chicken cool and then dice into bite sized pieces.

2. Cook pasta according to the box directions.

3. In a skillet (this will need to be a large one!), melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and stir continuously for about 1 minute. Add garlic and stir for 30 more seconds. Then add milk and cream as well as salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil while still continuously stirring. Once it has reached a boil, reduce the heat and add both the Parmesan and Neufchatel cheeses. Stir until completely melted.

4. Toss pasta in the skillet with the sauce, coating evenly. The add your steamed asparagus and bacon bits. Mix together and serve!

Recipe Notes

This recipe was originally from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom!

I’m so glad I found it on Pinterest and tried it out!

We party here!

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