Creamy pasta with chicken and broccoli

Creamy pasta with chicken and broccoli

Creamy pasta with chicken and broccoli
  • High protein
  • Low phosphate
  • Low potassium
  • Low salt
  • Lunch
  • Main meal
  • European
  • 1 hour or less
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Quick and easy, this meal is also ideal for those having dialysis.

Chef

Lizzie Morey
Lizzie Morey

Kidney Kitchen Chef

A creamy, high-protein pasta that’s low in potassium, phosphate and salt.

Ingredients

300g wholemeal pasta

240g vegetables (any fresh or frozen) broccoli, cauliflower, peas, sweetcorn, green beans, peppers or carrots, peeled and diced

2 teaspoons oil

320g chicken breast/thigh meat, diced, or large ready-peeled prawns

170g cream cheese, plain or flavoured (garlic and herb)

100ml reduced-salt chicken/vegetable stock

For a bake

60g breadcrumbs

30g mozzarella, grated

Small handful fresh, chopped parsley

2 medium tomatoes, sliced

Method

  1. Step 1

    To make a pasta bake version, preheat oven to 175°C / 150°C fan / gas mark 4. Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling water (according to packet instructions). After 5 minutes, add your vegetables, except pepper (if using). Cook for another 5 minutes, then drain. Set aside.

  2. Step 2

    While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a pan over a high heat, and cook the chicken until lightly coloured and cooked through (or prawns, if using, until cooked through). Once cooked, add in peppers (if using), and cook for another couple of minutes until they start to soften.

  3. Step 3

    Add the cream cheese and stock into the pan with chicken/prawns. Lower the heat and stir until the cream cheese has melted and thoroughly mixed.

  4. Step 4

    Mix the drained pasta and vegetables into this mix and stir to combine. If serving just as is, add fresh parsley and serve. If turning into a pasta bake, pour the mixture into an ovenproof dish and gently mix the breadcrumbs, parsley and mozzarella together in a bowl. Scatter on top, then lay the sliced tomatoes over the breadcrumb mixture. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.

  5. Step 5

    Remove from the oven and serve.

Food facts

Serving sizes are based on adult portions. Here is a guide for children:

Toddler (age 1-4): ¼ adult portion

Young child (age 5-9): ½ adult portion

Older child (age 10-13): ¾ adult portion

Teenagers (14+): 1 adult portion

Some children do have bigger appetites than others. You child’s portion may need to be changed to fit their typical diet if you think the recommended serving sizes are too large or small. We would advise speaking with your dietitian prior to increasing the serving size if your child has struggled to manage potassium or phosphate.

Pasta is the main source of carbohydrate. The value has been provided for those trained in insulin adjustment.

Despite the use of some high potassium ingredients (tomatoes), this recipe is low in potassium, when following ingredient quantities and serving sizes. It is also low in phosphate, but does contain some, mainly from the chicken or prawns, so if you have been prescribed a phosphate binder, take as directed. To further reduce the phosphate, replace some, or all, the dish’s meat/fish with a plant based alternative, such as butter beans.

This recipe is high in protein and suitable for those advised to eat more protein. If you have been advised to eat less protein, you could replace the chicken/prawns with a pulse, such as butter beans, or use Quorn, tempeh or tofu pieces.

For those needing to increase calories in their meals, use full-fat cream cheese in the mix. You could also add olive oil to the breadcrumb mix, and drizzle over the final dish.

If you want to lower the calories in this dish, use a low-fat cream cheese and reduced-fat mozzarella. For more fibre, keep skin on the carrots, just give them a wash first.

Use gluten-free pasta and stock.

Use Quorn, tempeh, tofu or a pulse to replace the chicken or prawns and use vegetable stock.

Use vegan cream cheese and vegan mozzarella, and follow the vegetarian guidance.

Use frozen vegetables.

Once cooled, this recipe can be stored in the fridge, in an air-tight container, for up to three days, and re-heated.

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