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Bowl of creamy pasta

Creamy sun dried tomato & spicy chicken pasta

This one pot stove top pasta dish is creamy, bursting with flavor, and oh so satisfying. It's the perfect and easiest comfort meal year round!
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz sun dried tomatoes chopped
  • 1 lb chicken breasts or thighs cubed
  • 1 ½ tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 3 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 dash red pepper flakes optional for spice
  • sea salt & fresh black pepper
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1 shallot chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 lb rigatoni pasta
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tsp dijon mustard
  • 3 cups spinach

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch Oven

Method
 

  1. Set the pot over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of oil from the sun dried tomato jar. Add chicken and sprinkle the paprika, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until golden brown on both sides and remove from pot.
  2. Add butter, shallot and garlic to pot and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic! Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes.
  3. Stir in parmesan cheese, heavy cream, mustard, chopped sun dried tomatoes and spinach.
  4. Add the chicken back in and give it a good stir. Add extra parmesan on top and a scrunch of black pepper. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Pro-tip: I like to chop/mince/dice all of the veggies before I begin any recipe. It makes things go much smoother, and it's satisfying to have everything ready to go as you follow along with the recipe. 
  • You may need to add extra water to the pot to ensure the pasta is fully covered and has enough water to cook. Note, the water will cook down and you do not need to drain the pot, so be careful not add too much extra water. 
  • For leftovers, add a fresh squeeze of lemon and some good extra virgin olive oil since most of the sauce will be absorbed into the pasta.