Woohoo! I’m excited about this one! This Garlic Parmesan Kale Pasta Meal Prep might be one of my most favorite meal preps so far. It is a little pricer than most, thanks to the chicken, but OMG it’s SO GOOD. It’s so easy, well rounded, and sooo delicious. BUT this one is definitely for garlic lovers. It had my fridge smelling of garlic for daaayyys. 😅
I borrowed elements from a few different recipes for this meal prep. The chicken marinade I used is the same marinade from the chicken thighs in my Greek Chicken Pasta Salad. It’s super garlicky and has a wonderful tangy lemon finish. I’ve included the recipe for the marinade itself later in this post to make things a little easier, so just scroll down past the meal prep section to find the recipe and step by step photos.
I also added some blistered tomatoes to the meal to add color and a little more vibrant flavor. The blistered tomato technique was borrowed from this Parsley Pesto Pasta with Blistered Tomatoes recipe. You basically just cook the tomatoes in a skillet until the skin blisters and bursts and some of the juice spills out and caramelizes in the skillet. I cooked these tomatoes in the same skillet as the garlic marinated chicken, so they also picked up some of that flavor. They’re SO GOOD.
Anyway, on to the meal prep…
Garlic Parmesan Kale Pasta Meal Prep
For more information about meal prepping, how it works, and why I do it, check out Meal Prep 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Prepping and Portioning Meals, or check out my entire Budget-Friendly Meal Prep Archive.
This Meal Prep Includes:
Garlic Parmesan Kale Pasta: $3.37
Garlic Marinated Chicken (see recipe below): $6.53
1 pint Blistered Tomatoes (see photos below): $1.99
Total Cost: $11.89
Cost per serving: $2.97
NO LEFTOVERS, YAY! :D
For this meal prep I prepared the marinade for the chicken first, then prepared the Garlic Parmesan Kale Pasta while the chicken was marinating. Once the pasta was finished, I quickly cooked the chicken and tomatoes, then assembled everything. So easy!
Garlic Marinated Chicken
Garlic Marinated Chicken
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil ($0.52)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice ($0.16)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced ($0.26)
- 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
- 1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts ($4.94)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper to a bowl or a large zip top bag. Stir the ingredients in the dish until combined.
- If using breasts, fillet each chicken breast into two thinner pieces. Place the chicken in the bag or in a shallow dish, then pour the marinade over top, making sure the chicken pieces are completely covered in marinade. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours (refrigerated), turning occasionally to maximize the chicken's contact with the marinade.
- When ready to cook, heat a large skillet over medium. Transfer the chicken from the marinade to the hot skillet and cook on each side until well browned and cooked through (about 5-7 minutes each side, depending on the size of the pieces). Cook two pieces at a time to avoid overcrowding the skillet, which can cause juices to pool and prevents browning. Discard the excess marinade.
- Transfer the cooked chicken from the skillet to a cutting board and let rest for five minutes before slicing and serving.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Step by Step Photos
Add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3 cloves of garlic (minced), 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to a large zip top bag or a large shallow dish. Stir or massage the bag to combine the ingredients.
I used two large chicken breasts, which were about 1.5 lbs. total. Filet the breasts in half so that you have four thinner pieces. This helps maximize the marinade’s flavor and helps the chicken cook through faster in the skillet.
Place the chicken breast pieces in the marinade and make sure the pieces are completely coated. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, heat a skillet over medium. Once the skillet is hot, transfer the chicken from the marinade to the skillet and cook on each side until well browned and cooked through (about 5-7 minutes each side). I suggest cooking the chicken two pieces at a time to avoid over crowding the skillet, which can make the juices pool and prevent browning. Discard the extra marinade.
Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it sit for about five minutes before slicing.
While the chicken was resting, I blistered the tomatoes. I just tossed one pint of cherry tomatoes into the skillet with the residual oil from the chicken and let them cook over medium, stirring only occasionally, until the skins blistered, burst, and the tomatoes became soft.
Then it’s time to assemble your meal! Garlic Parmesan Kale Pasta on the bottom, Garlic Marinated Chicken and Blistered Tomatoes on top. :)
The glass containers pictured in this post are from Amazon and can be found here.
why dont I see how much tomatoes, kale and spaghetti I need? ugh
Hi Destiny! If you read through the first couple of paragraphs it links the recipes and explains what elements she borrowed from which and why! I would link them for you here but this meal prep is a combination of three different blog posts Beth linked above. Check it out!
How long does this last in the fridge for
About 4-5 days!
I used limes from my backyard instead of lemons and the chicken turned out delicious! I loved adding the kale to the pasta, it’s a good way to bulk up pasta with extra nutrients.
It’s annoying every time I make this for food prep days my family eats it al and I have none left lol. It’s amazing filling and yummy 😛👏
I really want to make this but I don’t have lemons for the chicken. Would limes work instead? Or should I wait until I have lemons?
I find lemons and limes to have a very different flavor, so I would wait, personally.
This is my absolute favorite recipe but instead of kale pasta I did zucchini squash noodles and it is the most flavorful meal I think I’ve ever had thank you so much for this recipe!! The chicken just melts in your mouth!!
Cooked the chicken, kale pasta and the tomatoes and absolutely fell in love with every element of this dish. Easy and full of flavors and super light. Thank you so much I adore your recipes. You make eating good food easier !
Would this freeze okay?
I don’t think this one will freeze very well, although that’s largely subjective.
This recipe looks great. Only question is all of the ingredients and recipe is not included?
Kale, tomatoes, pasta? Very confusing recipe.
Hi Jeff! If you read through the post, you’ll see Beth outlines the blistered tomato recipe as well as linking to the Garlic Parmesan Kale Pasta.
What do u cook the noodles in? Don’t see that in the recipe
Hi Shelly! The pasta recipe can be found here https://www.budgetbytes.com/garlic-parmesan-kale-pasta/
After keeping it in the fridge, can it then be re-heated in the microwave? If so, how long does it need to be heated for?
Yes you can reheat in the microwave. I’d start in one minute increments depending on your microwave.
Going to make this week. Our Fresh Market has chicken on sale on Tues and will freeze to make on Sunday. My husband works out of town on the weekdays and I am looking for meals that I can make and put into meal boxes for him to reheat. He leaves on Mondays and comes home on Fridays. Looking to keep his meals a bit healthier that I know what he will make (boxed mac and cheese)
Oh that’s a great idea Wendy!
This comes down to 750 calories and 57.5 grams of protein per meal . It is more than the recommend 4 ounces of chicken per meal . you can easily divide it 6 meals and bring the calories under 500 and the cost under $2 per meal.
You should do a “Meal Prep Bundle” on your app!
this is sooo good. the chicken is superb! pasta is simple but so tasty. will make again!
How long will it last in the fridge
About 4-5 days
Awesome recipe. Made it for the next four days.
How do you make the kale pasta shown in the picture?
The recipe is linked in the post, but here is the link as well: Garlic Parmesan Kale Pasta
do the tomatoes stop tasting as good after they’ve been refrigerated? I know that’s a thing with raw, but unsure with these!
Honestly I’ve never had an issue with tomatoes tasting bad after refrigerating, so if they did I probably didn’t notice… but I’m guessing that’s probably an issue with fresh rather than cooked tomatoes.
This is very delicious. Tried it yesterday – didn’t have any garlic but had garlic powder so I threw that in instead. Tastes great!!
I LOVE this recipe. I have made it 4 times in the span of a month now. So simple but so yummy! And healthy :)
Hi, i recently got the app and was fine with paying for it but was VERY disappointed how confusing it kind of is. I always used this website to get meal prep ideas and loved it! That’s why I downloaded the app thinking it would be easier. I like how on the actual website you have a sections for the different genres, specifically for meal preps. That’s why I got disappointed that on the app you do not of a section with a list of meal preps. From at least I can see. If I’m wrong and there is a section on the app I would like to know where and how to get to it.
Hi Mikaela, I’m sorry but we do not have the meal preps on the app yet. We are working on an update that will allow building grocery lists from multiple recipes and hopefully after that is built we’ll be able to add the meal preps. I can’t guarantee when that will be, so if you are unsatisfied with the rest of the app, you can always request a refund from the app store.
This was a great recipe! I waited to add the garlic until a few minutes before the kale is fully cooked to avoid burning the garlic. For a faster meal, I subbed pre-cooked sausage for the chicken thighs, lightly browning them in the pan and then removing them and setting them aside before adding the kale. It came together super quickly. I made this with whole wheat spaghetti and loved it. Thank you!
Hi! Can I freeze this meal and warm it up again days later on a microwave? Or would it make it be bad?
I don’t think this one will freeze very well, although that’s largely subjective. If I was broke and needed to, I’d probably still freeze it, reheat it, and enjoy it. Haha!
I made this and loved it, but I made extra and the chicken took awhile. Thinking about browning the chicken then finishing it in the oven?
Kristen
You could do that. :)
This one’s a total keeper, thanks Beth! (as always)
Hi Beth! I’m pretty eager to try this meal prep. I’m on a tighter budget and meal prep for two people instead of one. I’d like to add an extra veggie or two to this so we don’t need to double the chicken. Any recommendations on what would pair well?
I think I would try roasting some zucchini. :)
Why should the chicken only marinate for up to 8 hours? I’d like to put it in the marinade one night, and then make it the next night. But I suppose I’ll make the marinade at night and then add the chicken to it in the morning before I go to work.
Acidic marinades can begin to break down the muscle fibers and make the meat mushy, but some people can’t tell the difference.
This was SO good. I had leftovers for lunch today and it may have been even better than last night!
Amazing meal prep! In additional, I added a sploosh of red wine vinegar to the pan while blistering the tomatoes. This will definitely be a repeat meal prep for my wife and I!
OMG YES! That looks absolutely delicious. Definitely gonna it a try and hope it will turn out excellent. Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas!
One of your best!
This looks amazing! Will have to try it out this week <3
https://www.myblackcloset.com/
Made this last night and wow, amazing meal. Thanks so much for all you ideas Beth!
Yummy. My kind of meal!! :-)
This recipe sounds amazing but it would have been a lot less confusing if the recipe was on the first page rather than the recipe for the marinade. Also, never break the pasta prior to cooking.
where is the kale in the recipe ???
This is a meal prep post showing how to combine multiple recipes into a meal. The link to the kale pasta is in the “This Meal Prep Includes” section. The garlic chicken is something I threw together last minute and doesn’t have it’s own recipe page, so I just included it here.
I really enjoy these meal prep posts.
Looks awesome! My favorite way to eat cherry tomatoes as a stand-alone side when I’ve let them get too wrinkly on the counter is to roast them with garlic.
Also, a belated welcome to Tennessee!