Two words: Comfort food. When these words are thought of, you usually know that its always going to be good, and that, most of time, it has something to do with cheese–and it probably isn’t going to be healthy. But they don’t ‘t have to be. Comfort foods can be amazing, and healthy, as well.

Each person has their own perspective on what they think comfort food is. It could be spicy, sweet, or salty, but not all pleasure foods have to be full of sugar or carbs. One recipe that has been found to be healthier than most comfort foods is my take on Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta.

Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Ingredients:
-8 oz. bow-tie pasta noodles (or your favorite type of pasta noodles)
-1 head of broccoli, cut into pieces
– (opt.) 1 red and/or yellow bell peppers
-2 tbsp. butter
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
-3 tsp. Cajun seasoning, to taste
-4 oz. low fat cream cheese, softened and cut into small pieces
-1 cup 2% milk
-3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions:
1. Add pasta to large pot of boiling water. Cook until noodles are tender, but add the broccoli to the pot of boiling pasta water about 1 minute before the noodles are done. Drain and set aside.

2. In a large pot or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chicken pieces and the Cajun seasoning. cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the cream cheese, stirring well until melted and smooth, 2-3 minutes. Gradually add milk and stir until it’s fully incorporated into the sauce. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is the desired consistency. Add the broccoli and hot cooked pasta and stir to combine.

Making this particular dish may seem like a lot of work but it was actually rather easy. Cooking the pasta and broccoli was the longest part of the process. Because of the Cajun seasoning, it made the pasta a little spicy. After the pasta was finished, I was surprised at just how creamy the finished product was. The dish had great texture, good spice, and definitely on the list of top comfort foods. The Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta restored my faith in eating comfort food and still being healthy.