Spinach and Mushroom Curry with Creamy Coconut Sauce
This pasta with healthy vegetables and a creamy coconut curry sauce makes a hearty, complete meal! Enjoy it with chicken or shrimp added, or make it a protein-rich vegan meal with tofu. It's an easy, fast weeknight dinner.
Equipment
- spatulas
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound chicken breast, diced. Can use cubed tofu, or peeled, deviened shrimp in place of chicken.
- ½ cup fennel, finely chopped, or onion, diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger root, grated
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon coriander
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ cup chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 8 ounces chickpea rotini pasta, or regular pasta
- 1 14-ounce can coconut milk. Use full-fat for best taste
- 3 ounces fresh spinach, about ⅔ of a 5-ounce carton
- Kosher salt, as desired (I use about ½ teaspoon)
- black pepper, as desired (I like ½ teaspoon freshly ground)
Instructions
- Gather ingredients, and wash hands according to CDC guidelines before starting to prep and cook.
- Bring a pot of water to boil to cook the pasta according to package directions while you're making the sauce.
- Heat olive oil in large skillet. Over medium-high heat, saute the chopped fennel or onion for 3 minutes. Add raw chicken cubes and cook until no longer pink.Wipe down any surfaces touched by the raw chicken with disinfectant spray, wipes, or hot, soapy water. Wash hands if they came in contact with the raw poultry. Reach for a clean spatula before preparing the rest of the recipe.
- Add mushrooms to the chicken-fennel mixture. Saute until the mushrooms begin to look slightly moist and soft.
- Add grated ginger and all spices including salt and pepper to the pan. Stir to coat the contents of the skillet and let spices bloom in the heat of the pan.
- If using tofu cubes or shrimp, add them at this point and push them around in the spices so they are coated.
- Pour in the broth and deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits. Cook for about 3 minutes, evaporating some of the liquid so that just a few centimeters of liquid are left in the pan.
- Turn the heat to low and stir in the coconut milk. Simmer for about 10 minutes. *Note: If the sauce seems too thin after simmering, you can thicken it with some cornstarch. Dissolve 1½ Tablespoons of cornstarch into 2 Tablespoons of water and stir into the coconut sauce.
- Pour the drained pasta into the sauce and stir to coat with the sauce.
- Turn the heat off and toss the spinach into the skillet. Stir to wilt. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
The calories are not low for Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry because it is a hearty, complete meal (no sides necessary). It supplies almost 43 grams of protein. (Even though it is a pasta entree, it offers more protein than carbohydrate .)
With the mushrooms and spinach, this may be the most nutritionally packed and balanced recipe on the blog!
Feel free to use fresh garlic (2 cloves, minced). I use garlic powder to minimize any GI upset.
If you're searching for a jumbo-size skillet, I highly recommend this high-sided stainless offering from Cuisinart. It can hold up to 5 ½ qt, which makes it ideal for family meals -- especially one-pot meals!
A large Dutch oven would also be perfect for preparing Creamy Curried Chickpea Rotini with Spinach and Mushrooms. Staub and Le Creuset make legendary vessels.
There are also nice-looking versions on Amazon that look nice and are less expensive than well-known brands. Check out this La Cuisine Dutch oven (6.34 qt).
Credit: Amazon
Credit: Amazon
Credit: Amazon
Nutrition
Calories: 599.1kcalCarbohydrates: 39.6gProtein: 42.9gFat: 34.3gSaturated Fat: 19.8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.6gMonounsaturated Fat: 6.9gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 72.6mgSodium: 391.8mgPotassium: 1043.7mgFiber: 9.7gSugar: 6.3gVitamin A: 2051.8IUVitamin C: 14.1mgCalcium: 99.5mgIron: 10.5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!