Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta (Gluten Free)

One of my favorite foods ever is pasta! Sadly, when your doctor says to take gluten out of your diet, pasta is automatically off the list! I've tried various version of gluten free pastas and most have corn flour as an ingredient. So for me, those are a no go since my system does not like corn. Luckily, I happened upon a brand called Tinkyada Pasta Joy ™ Brown Rice Pasta whose ingredients include brown rice and water. On whole30 and paleo lifestyles, they avoid grains. However, I know that grains are not a problem for me. So I get my pasta fix with this brand. So far I've only found it at Walmart...  

Another ingredient that is a no-no on a whole30 or paleo diet is dairy. Several blogs I've read say "make paleo your own" and I agree with that sentiment! If cheese or dairy isn't a "trigger" for you, then by all means, enjoy it in your life. For me, however, my system says, nope. I have found some great replacement products at Kroger. Specifically in this recipe is the plant based cream cheese. I love cream cheese so taking it out of my diet was a bummer. I found Simple Truth Organic ™ Plant-Based Plain Cream Cheese Alternative and use it often as a cream cheese replacement. No, it doesn't taste exactly like the real thing, but for the dairy free person in your life, it is a great replacement! I couldn't call this recipe "dairy free" because I didn't try find a vegan Parmesan. I could have used my vegan Chao shreds but chose to use the Parmesan. (So far so good...)

Just for some additional information, gluten and diary are both considered inflammatory foods. Meaning when your body consumes them, they will cause inflammation (swelling) in your system. This can mean different things for different people. Personally, I battle inflammation on a regular basis. So when I consume gluten, that inflammation increases rapidly! Dairy is a little more forgiving for inflammation but my system doesn't digest it well. That is why you'll see all of my recipes will be gluten free and usually all diary free. Occasionally, I'll keep one dairy aspect as I did this one. Now the reason you came...the recipe! This is the Instant Pot version, I'm sure you can duplicate this on the stove top, I've just not tried to do so!

Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta  (6 servings)

Ingredients:  

• 1 lb Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cubed)
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• Paprika (to taste)
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)
• 3 tbsp ghee
• 1 Onion, diced
• 2 tbsp minced garlic (I use the pre-minced but 2 cloves of fresh would do the trick)
  
• 1 tbsp Dried Basil
• 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
• 4 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 16 oz Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta
• 8 oz Plant-Based Cream Cheese
• 1 1/2 cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 8 oz Sun-Dried Tomatoes (in oil is fine), drained & chopped
• 6 oz Baby Spinach

 Directions:

1. Turn on Instant Pot to saute function. Add olive oil and cubed chicken and season with salt, pepper, and paprika to your taste and mix well.
   
2. Once the chicken seems to be coated well, add ghee, diced onion, and minced garlic. Cook until chicken is done and onions are translucent. Turn off saute function.
   
3. Add chicken broth, dried basil, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, almond milk, and pasta to pot and stir.
4. Put lid on Instant Pot and seal. Set pot to manual, high pressure, and cook 5 mins. (lower cook time if you like a more al dente pasta. I prefer mine very soft.)
   
5. Once cooked, do a quick release and carefully open lid once pressure is released. (If you have excess liquid, it may spew pasta water out. I usually put paper towels over my steam release when I cook pasta.)
6. Stir in cream cheese until melted and sauce is smooth.
7. Stir in Parmesan; your pasta will begin getting very creamy.
8. Slowly add in your spinach, adding additional as it wilts.
9. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and any additional salt & pepper as needed.

This recipe is delicious served immediately and reheats well as a meal prep! As with all of my recipes, my seasoning measurements are guides and not exact. Any southern lady and especially Louisiana girl knows that Meme/Mawmaw/Grandma who we learned from never measured and loves her spice. I definitely fit that category. I tried to give the best guess at how much I used! If it didn't work out quite right the first time, try again the next! Hope you enjoy! 

God Bless and Happy Eating!