Our family is divided when it comes to pasta sauces. The boys love tomato-based pasta while my daughter and I enjoy cream-based ones…though I lean more towards the tomato-based haha!
Every time pasta is on the menu, I make it a point that we alternate the red and white sauce. If last week I prepared spaghetti with meatballs, the next time I cook pasta it’s going to be cream-based so that I won’t be accused of playing favorites haha!
Whenever I prepare “white” pasta, I cook with butter, flour and cream, which is too rich not to mention the bacon which is also an essential ingredient of Carbonara. But I still want to prepare something creamy but less sinful 🙂
As I was planning the menu last week, I saw this Cream-based pasta recipe in my “Black book ( this is my black planner with all my recipes). I checked the ingredients and saw that it had no butter but sour cream and all-purpose cream. And instead of bacon, the recipe calls for chicken breast.
I haven’t used sour cream before except for dips and dressings, so I’m so eager to try a different take on cream-based pasta. But before I share the recipe, I did some comparison between butter and sour cream. I found out that sour cream has reduced fat and has fewer calories. The total amount of calories per serving of regular (salted) butter is 717 calories while sour cream only has 181. Healthier choice? Maybe… so here’s how to do it.
1. Prepare your chicken breast. Pat dry the breasts then rub salt, pepper and rosemary on both sides. Leave for at least 30 minutes.
2. Cook the chicken breast in olive oil. Brown both sides then cut into bite pieces and set aside.
3. Using the same pan, cook the garlic until brown then add the mushroom, sour cream, all purpose cream and chicken bouillon. Let the sauce boil until a thick consistency is reached.
4. Add in the cut chicken and stir to avoid scorching.
5. Serve on top of penne or spaghetti.
For a healthier option and a dramatic contrast of colors, use the green-colored penne 🙂
Of course, the little girl liked it but wondered why the sauce was “kind of” sour. She said she didn’t like the sour taste but her plate was clean haha! Hubby preferred this version than the Carbonara because he said “It’s not too heavy and rich”.
Why don’t you try this recipe and tell me what you think? Happy tummy!