Description
Creamy Tomato Pesto Pasta with Chicken is a flavorful and comforting main course featuring rigatoni pasta tossed in a rich sauce made from tomato sauce, pesto, light cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and roasted red peppers, combined with seared seasoned chicken and fresh spinach, finished with creamy burrata cheese for a decadent touch.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta and Protein
- 1 lb rigatoni
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 chicken breast diced
Seasonings and Sauces
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 6 oz pesto
- 1/3 cup light cream
- 1 cup roasted red peppers chopped
Vegetables and Cheese
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 2 balls burrata 4 ounces each
Instructions
- Boil Pasta: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and cook the rigatoni according to the package instructions until al dente. Reserve some pasta cooking water then drain the pasta.
- Sear Chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add diced chicken and sear for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Season Chicken: Add Italian seasoning, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper to the chicken. Toss well and sear for an additional 2 minutes to develop flavor.
- Sauté Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Add minced garlic and chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add Sauces and Cream: Pour in tomato sauce, pesto, and light cream, stirring to combine. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer to blend the flavors.
- Add Vegetables: Stir in roasted red peppers and fresh spinach. Cook until the spinach has wilted thoroughly.
- Toss Pasta with Sauce: Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss well until the rigatoni is evenly coated with the creamy tomato pesto sauce.
- Plate and Serve: Divide the pasta among plates and top each serving with half a ball of burrata cheese for a creamy, fresh finish.
Notes
- Reserve some pasta water to adjust the sauce consistency if it becomes too thick.
- You can substitute chicken breast with chicken thighs for more juiciness.
- If you prefer a spicier dish, increase the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon.
- Use fresh basil instead of pesto if desired, although pesto adds richer flavor.
- For a vegetarian option, omit the chicken and add mushrooms or extra spinach.
- Burrata can be replaced with fresh mozzarella if unavailable.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 550 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
