Marry Me Chicken Pasta

• 120 g 2% cottage cheese (4.2 oz)
• 15 g Parmesan, grated (3 tbsp)
• 1 liter, for boiling Water (about 4 cups, for boiling)
• 1.5 g Salt (¼ tsp)
• 70 g dry Pasta (penne or rigatoni) (2.5 oz dry)
• 190 g raw Chicken breast (6.7 oz raw)
• 0.3 g Black pepper (⅛ tsp)
• 0.5 g Dried oregano (½ tsp)
• 6 g Olive oil (1⅓ tsp)
• 5 g raw (1½ cloves) Garlic
• 0.3 g Chili flakes (⅛ tsp)
• 100 g Tomato sauce (3.5 oz)
• 60 g raw Baby spinach (2 cups raw)
• 25 g Mozzarella, shredded (0.9 oz)

You'll need: Blender, Large saucepan, Colander, Mug, Large frying pan with a lid, Tongs, Cutting board and knife.

Method

1. Blend the creamy base

   Blend the cottage cheese and half the Parmesan for 45–60 seconds, scraping down once, until completely smooth and pourable.

   Keep blending until there's no graininess. It should look like thick cream.

2. Boil the pasta

   Bring the water to a boil with most of the salt. Add the pasta and cook for the time on the package, until tender with a slight bite. Scoop out a mug of the cooking water, then drain.

   Bite a piece a minute before the package time. It should have no hard white center.

3. Sear the chicken

   While the pasta cooks, slice the chicken into thin strips and toss with the last pinch of salt, the pepper and the oregano. Then scrub the board, knife and your hands with soap before you touch anything else. Heat the oil in the frying pan over medium-high heat and cook the chicken for 6–8 minutes, turning, until golden and 74°C (165°F) inside. Lift it onto a plate.

   Cut one of the thickest strips open. No pink and clear juices mean it's done.

4. Build the sauce and add the pasta

   Turn the heat to low. Mince the garlic and stir it into the same pan with the chili flakes for 30 seconds, then add the tomato sauce and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the blended cottage cheese and the spinach until the spinach wilts, then add the pasta and toss for 1–2 minutes, loosening with a splash of the pasta water.

   Keep it below a simmer once the cottage cheese goes in. Boiling makes the sauce grainy.

5. Top with chicken and cheese

   Lay the chicken on top, scatter over the mozzarella, cover the pan and let it melt on low heat for 1–2 minutes. Finish with the rest of the Parmesan.

   Cover the pan so the steam melts the cheese without drying the chicken.

Swaps

• Chicken breast → Boneless chicken thighsJuicier and more forgiving. Cook to 74°C (165°F).
• Pasta → High-protein lentil pastaAdds about 8 g of protein. Cook it 1–2 minutes less; it goes soft fast.