RECIPE: Cream of Chicken/Tuna/Veg Pasta

It's been a while since I've done a "superfood recipe" on this blog, but I recently shared this one with my co-workers, and I enjoy this dish, so here it goes!  

For work, we've been having a virtual meetup each morning at 9am.  It's a nice way to ease into the day, and stay in touch with co-workers.  The newest theme was sharing recipes for a Quarantine Cookbook.  The idea is that you share a recipe that you've made even with sparse provisions, and your ingredients list should offer suggestions for substitutions, in case anyone's options are limited.

Even though I had just restocked, I could've made this dish with what I had before the trip to the grocery store.

Cream of Chicken/Tuna/Veg Pasta

Serves 2

Approximate Prep Time: 25 min

Ingredients:

-       1-2 Cans of Tuna, or Shredded Chicken, depending on how much meat you like.  Skip this if you’re vegetarian.

-       2 servings of pasta (I like non-spaghetti style, like Rotini or Penne)

-       Optional Carrot, if you want more veggies.  Or use frozen carrots+peas.  I haven’t tried it yet, but little pieces of cauliflower or extra mushrooms could also be good.

-       1/2 container of frozen spinach (defrosted)

-       2 servings of shredded cheese

-       2 cloves of Garlic (I like garlic)

-       1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup (I get the lowfat kind)

-       Black Pepper

Steps:

-       Boil the pasta (with some salt, not sure what that does)

-       Chop up the carrots and microwave it for 2 minutes with a little water until it’s tender.

-       Chop up the garlic.

-       Put everything except the pasta in a bowl and microwave it for a minute.

-       Add the pasta and stir.

(Cooked Pasta)

(Post-microwave)

The Story:

My mom used to make something like this when I was a kid.  I remember not liking it much back then.  I don’t remember how I came up with this, but it reminds me of the flavors of chicken pot pie, and what my mom made, and rich and creamy pastas, but with a healthier version of it.  I don’t “cook” often, so this is fancy cooking for me.  I’m normally hungry after work, so I go for quick and easy meals that typically require <5 a="" also="" avoid="" can.="" dishes="" i="" making="" microwave="" min="" nbsp="" o:p="" of="" prep.="" so="" to="" ton="" try="" wash="" when="">