Experience Comfort and Flavor with Our Italian Wedding Pasta Skillet
Prepare to fall in love with a dish that redefines comfort food: the Italian Wedding Pasta Skillet. This extraordinary recipe takes all the beloved flavors of classic Italian Wedding Soup – the tender mini meatballs, savory broth, and wholesome vegetables – and transforms them into a hearty, satisfying pasta skillet that’s perfect for any night of the week. If you’re a fan of the rich, comforting taste of traditional wedding soup or even a classic chicken noodle soup, then this ingenious pasta adaptation is guaranteed to become a new favorite in your culinary repertoire.
Imagine tender mini meatballs, perfectly cooked pasta shells, succulent sautéed chicken, and a medley of vibrant carrots, celery, and onions, all nestled in a robust, flavorful sauce. Fresh spinach adds a burst of color and nutrition, while a generous topping of Parmesan cheese brings everything together with a delightful finish. Each spoonful delivers a harmonious blend of textures and tastes, making it the quintessential comfort meal. What’s more, this dish truly shines as leftovers, meaning you’ll be just as excited to enjoy it the next day – a rare feat for many meals! And for those mindful of their diet, each serving boasts a mere 325 calories or 6 WW Points, proving that delicious and wholesome can indeed go hand-in-hand. To easily track this recipe in the WW app or site and view your current WW Points, simply click here!
Unlock Weeknight Ease: Smart Prep for Your Italian Wedding Pasta Skillet
While this Italian Wedding Pasta Skillet might appear to have several components, the beauty of this recipe lies in its adaptability for advance preparation. With a little strategic planning, you can significantly reduce your cooking time on busy weeknights, transforming it into a quick and seamless culinary experience. Embracing the concept of “mise en place” – having all your ingredients prepped and ready – will make assembling this dish a breeze.
Here are some simple yet effective tips for prepping ahead:
- Vegetable Chopping: The onions, carrots, and celery form the aromatic foundation of this dish. You can easily chop these vegetables days in advance and store them in a zip-top bag or airtight container in your refrigerator until you’re ready to cook. A hand chopper can speed up this process even further!
- Chicken Preparation: Cut your boneless, skinless chicken breast into small, bite-sized pieces ahead of time. Kitchen shears often make this task quicker and more efficient than a knife. Once cut, store the chicken in the fridge until needed.
- Pasta Pre-Cooking: For ultimate convenience, you can even cook the pasta shells in advance. Simply prepare them according to package directions, drain, and then rinse with cold water to prevent sticking. Store the cooled pasta in the refrigerator, and when it’s time to cook, just add it to the skillet at the end to warm through, absorbing all the wonderful flavors.
- Mini Meatball Masterpiece: The meatballs are the heart of this skillet. You can mix, roll, and even lightly brown them ahead of time. Store the pre-cooked meatballs in a Tupperware in the fridge for a few days, or freeze them for longer storage. This significantly cuts down on active cooking time when you’re ready to make the full meal.
By investing a small amount of time in these simple preparatory steps, you’ll find that this incredibly flavorful and satisfying Italian Wedding Pasta Skillet comes together with remarkable speed, making it an ideal choice for a delicious and speedy meal on even the busiest of evenings.
More Lightened-Up Pasta Creations to Explore
If you’ve enjoyed the comforting yet wholesome nature of this Italian Wedding Pasta Skillet, you’re in for a treat! Our collection features a wide array of lightened-up pasta recipes that are bursting with flavor without compromising on your health goals. From hearty bakes to quick skillets, there’s something for every pasta lover looking for a delicious and balanced meal. Don’t miss out on these other fantastic options:
- Sausage Ricotta Pasta
- Lemon Chicken Orzo with Tomatoes and Asparagus
- Chicken Pesto Parmesan Pasta Skillet
- One Pot Cincinnati Chili Spaghetti Bake
- Beef Stroganoff
- Beefy American Goulash
- Pizza Lasagna Roll-Ups
- Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Shells
- Slow Cooker Kickin’ Chicken Pasta
- Beef and Sausage Manicotti
- Pumpkin Alfredo Tortellini Skillet
- Spinach and Artichoke Lasagna Roll-Ups
- Cheesy Chicken Veggie Pasta Skillet
- Spinach and Parmesan Orzo
- Sausage Tortellini Skillet
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Bake
- Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Shells
- Tomato Soup Mac & Cheese
- Spaghetti Pie
- Spicy Sausage Pasta
- Cheesy Taco Pasta
And many more delightful recipes await you in the dedicated pasta section of my recipe index!
Italian Wedding Pasta Skillet
20 minutes
30 minutes
50 minutes
8
(1 rounded cup) servings
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Ingredients
- 12 oz 99% lean ground turkey breast
- ¼ cup plain bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon skim milk
- 8 oz uncooked medium pasta shells, use whole wheat pasta if following the WW Purple plan
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 12 oz raw boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small bite-size pieces
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- ½ cup finely chopped carrot
- 1 celery rib, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup reduced sodium fat free chicken broth
- 1 (10.75 oz) can of healthy request cream of chicken condensed soup
- 1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 oz parmesan cheese, finely shredded (I use the smallest holed side of a box grater)
Instructions
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In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, grated Parmesan, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, egg and milk. Using your hands (or a spoon) mush all the ingredients together until well combined. Roll the meat mixture into 60 separate (3/4”-1”) mini meatballs and set aside.
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In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook the pasta shells according to package directions. Drain the pasta when cooked.
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While the water boils for step 2, bring 2 teaspoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan or walled skillet. Add the chicken pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through (about 5-6 minutes). Remove chicken to a side plate.
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Add a tablespoon of the oil to the same skillet and keep over medium heat. Add the mini meatballs and cook for a few minutes, stirring when needed, until all sides are browned and the meatballs are cooked through. Transfer meatballs to the plate with the chicken.
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Add the remaining teaspoon of oil to the skillet, still over medium heat, and add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until the vegetables are softened. Add the garlic and stir together. Cook for another minute until garlic is fragrant. Add the chicken, meatballs, broth, condensed soup, chopped spinach, thyme, salt and pepper and stir together until well combined. Cover the pan and cook on medium-low for 2-5 minutes until heated through.
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Remove the lid and stir in the pasta and one ounce of the shredded parmesan until well combined. Sprinkle the remaining ounce of Parmesan over top of the skillet and replace the lid. Turn off the burner and keep covered for 1-2 minutes until the cheese on top is melted.
Notes
WW Points per (1 rounded cup) serving: 6 (SP calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Nutrition Information per (1 rounded cup) serving:
325 calories, 31 g carbs, 3 g sugars, 10 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 29 g protein, 3 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com)
MyWW SmartPoints per (1 rounded cup) serving: (SP calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Green: 8 SmartPoints/ Blue: 6 SmartPoints/ Purple: 3 SmartPoints (if using wheat pasta, if not then use Blue points)
Weight Watchers Points Plus:
8 per (1 rounded cup) serving (PP calculated using a WW PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition info below)
adapted from Taste of Home
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