Recipe: Mediterranean chicken roll-ups

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Nutrient-dense foods and recipes are typically packed with vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, lean proteins and are relatively low in calories.

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

3 cloves minced garlic
1 small onion, chopped small
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup water
1 6 oz. can tomato paste, no salt added
½ tsp. group black pepper
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
½ cup ricotta cheese, low-fat or fat-free
4 (4-5 oz. each) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to ¼” thickness
¼ cup fat-free feta cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion, then stir until translucent for 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the water and tomato paste, along with 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning and ¼ tsp. of pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. In a small bowl, mix the remaining black pepper and Italian seasoning with the ricotta cheese.
5. Leaving a ½” edge all around, spread on each chicken breast. Then, roll each chicken breast up and secure with wooden toothpicks.
6. Spoon half of the tomato mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish. Place the chicken rolls in, seam-side down. Spoon the remaining sauce over the chicken rolls.
7. Sprinkle feta and parmesan on top, then cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F and is no longer pink.

Nutrition information (serving size: 4 servings): 152 calories; 11g carbohydrate; 6g fat; 15g protein; 433mg sodium; 5g sugar