Easy 30 Minute Penne With Chicken And Veggies | Weeknight Dinner

This  is  pasta  dish   with   chicken and  vegetables that  is  complete  meal  in itself.  This   recipe is  inspired  by Chicken Penne  Alfredo, but  made  dairy free  and more  wholesome. The  sauce is lightly  creamy and  flavored  with   herbs  and   a touch of  heat.    30 minutes is  all it  takes  to  make  this.  How  is that  for  weeknight  dinner?

A  meal  like  this  is  easy  to make  even on a busy week night.   Get  the  pasta  going  in  one  pot  while  everything  else  gets  done in  a   skillet  at  the  same  time.   The  meal is  wholesome –  you have carbs ,  veggies  and   protein –  and  a whole  lot  of  flavors as well.

Sure there  are  2  dishes  to  clean   instead  of  one, but  to be  honest  there is  not  much of a  cleanup  here. And  no  fancy gadgets are  needed  either !

Try these  other Dinner  Ideas 

• Shredded  Beef  Bowl
• Curried Salmon With Spinach
• Black Bean  Chili

These   are the  basic  ingredients  you need  to make this  dish  – pasta,  coconut milk/cream,  vegetables,  spices  and  chicken.

Pasta

Dry pasta  is  a  life saver,  and  for  me   it  is  a  must  have  in the pantry.  That  and frozen  veggies some  jarred  sauce   and  pickles  makes life  so   much more pleasant when  the  schedule  gets  crazy.   from.   I like  to make  this  with  penne but spaghetti  or  fettuccine  works  as  well too.

Cream

Creamy pasta  dishes  are   something  of  a favorite  of  my kids,  and  we  make  different  versions.  This is  one  that  is  a  little  different,  but  an  absolute  favorite of  mine. It  is   entirely dairy free.

My preferred “cream  agent”  is  coconut  milk,  because  that  is  something  that  always  seems to be there  in my pantry  and  I and  the  rest of  the  family love  it.    Use  almond  milk  or   soy milk if  you like,  but  if  using  these  you may need  some  thickeners  (corn starch or  all purpose  flour).

Chicken

The  protein of  choice  is   chicken –  chicken   breast  to be  exact .   These  cook  fast  and the  thinly sliced   portions  absorb  the   flavors  really well.

Vegetables

When it  comes  to  vegetables,  there are  many choices.  Often times  I   use  frozen  veggies  but fresh  asparagus  or  french beans  work well in this  recipe too.  Frozen  spinach it is added to the  sauce  along  with the  chicken. If  I were using  fresh spinach    it  will be  stirred  in and  heated  through   once the  chicken  is  cooked .

Here are the  steps to make   this  dish

• Heat  oil and   add   season   with red  pepper  flakes  garlic   and  Italian seasoning
• Add the  coconut  milk and  the  chicken.
• Add  frozen  veggies
• Cover  and  cook for  10 minutes
• Open  and  add the  cooked  pasta
• Mix  and  finish  the  dish  with  coconut  cream

Creamy Chicken and Veggie Pasta

By Syama

This is a  dairy free  take  on chicken Alfredo pasta.   The  addition of  vegetables  and  spice s make  it  a  perfect  one  dish  meal   that  is  easy to make  and  serve. 

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American, Fusion

Servings 4

Calories 500 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 8 oz Penne
• 8 oz  Frozen  Spinach Notes
• 1 lb  Chicken  Breast
• 2 Tbsp Olive  oil
• ¼ Tsp  Red chili flakes To Taste
• 1 Tsp  Italian Seasoning
• 1 Can Coconut milk About 13 oz
• 2 Cloves  Garlic
• 2 C  Grape  tomatoes
• 1 C  Chicken or Vegetable Stock / Water
• 1  Tbsp Corn Starch Optional See Notes

Instructions

 

• Slice the  chicken  breasts   thin  about   1 cm  thickness  and 2 inches  in length.  Mince  the  garlic.  Rinse  the  tomatoes    and  halve  the  large  ones.

Cook Pasta

• Bring   salted  water to boil  and cook  pasta  according to the package  directions. Drain and  set  aside.

Make sauce

• While the pasta is  cooking  heat a  heavy bottomed  skillet.
• When  hot  add  2  tbsp olive  oil.  Keep the  heat  at  medium  and add the  minced  garlic, chili flakes  and Italian  seasoning.  Let  it  cook for  30 seconds  or  till the  flavors  to  infuse  the hot  oil.  Add 1 C  coconut milk and ½ tsp  salt   and   cook the  sauce  until it  is  beginning  to  boil , about 1   minute.
• Stir in the chicken  and  top  with the  frozen  spinach . Cover  and  cook  over  medium heat  for  10 minutes.
• Open the  lid, stir  and  check to see  make  sure  that the chicken is   cooked  through.    If   more  sauce  is  preferred  add   1 C  stock  or  pasta  water.  Mix 1 tbsp corn starch  to 2 tbsp  cold  water  and   mix  into the  sauce.  Lower  the  heat  to  simmer   and  add the  drained  pasta.
• Top   with the  grape   tomatoes .   Gently stir so that  the  sauce  coats  the  pasta.
• Cover  the  skillet  and  tun  off the  heat.   Let  the pasta   rest  for  5 minutes ,  drizzle ½ C  coconut   milk all over  and   serve.

Notes

• Use  your  favorite  pasta  in this  dish - penne, linguini, or fettuccine
• When using  corn starch  it  is  important   to  let   the  sauce  come to a  full boil  after  adding it.  This  ensures  that  all the  cornstarch is  cooked  and  reaches  its  full thickening  potential.
• AP Flour  can  be  used  in place  of  corn starch.   Use  2  Tbsp  of  AP  Flour  and  make  sure  that  the  sauce  comes  back  to   a  boil  after  adding  it.
• The  grape  tomatoes   gets   warmed  through  while  the  pasta  is  resting.  They  still hold  their   shape.
• Do not  forget  to  drizzle   the  coconut  milk  in  the  end.   This   releases  fresh  aromas.
• For a more  creamier  richer   sauce  use 2 cups of  coconut  milk  in the  sauce .
• Fresh  spinach  can  be  used    as   well.  Add the  spinach to the   sauce  after  the   chicken  has  been  cooking   for  5  minutes.

The  nutritional  values   of  the   dish  will depend  on the   actual  ingredients  used. The  calorie  information is  only  approximate.   

Nutrition

Calories: 500kcal

Important: Nutrition Values are estimates. Actuals vary based on ingredients and serving size.

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Note :

Don’t forget  to   drizzle  coconut  milk to finish the  dish.   The   coconut  milk  on top   gives  the  dish  the  extra  luscious   feel  and   releases  fresh aromas.

If you try this recipe, I would  love  to hear  about it ! Leave a COMMENT, RATING , share a photo and TAG me on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK  OR  GOOGLE+