Description
A flavorful and creamy tomato pesto pasta with tender seared chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, fresh spinach, and decadent burrata cheese for a rich and comforting meal perfect for dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta and Protein
- 1 lb rigatoni
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 chicken breast diced
Seasonings
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Sauce and Vegetables
- 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
- 2 cups fresh spinach
Cheese
- 2 balls burrata (4 ounces each)
Instructions
- Boil Pasta: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta cooking water before draining the pasta.
- Sear Chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the diced chicken breast and sear for 2 to 3 minutes until starting to brown.
- Add Seasonings: Sprinkle Italian seasoning, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper over the chicken. Toss to coat evenly and continue to sear for another 2 minutes to develop flavor.
- Sauté Garlic and Sun-dried Tomatoes: Add minced garlic and chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the pan. Sauté for about 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Prepare Sauce: Pour in the tomato sauce, pesto, and light cream. Stir thoroughly to combine and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
- Add Vegetables: Stir in chopped roasted red peppers and fresh spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Toss Pasta with Sauce: Add the cooked rigatoni to the pan and toss everything together until the pasta is evenly coated with the creamy tomato pesto sauce. If needed, add reserved pasta water a little at a time to loosen the sauce.
- Serve and Garnish: Plate the pasta and top each serving with half a ball of burrata cheese for a creamy, decadent finish.
Notes
- You can substitute chicken breast with chicken thighs for a juicier option.
- If light cream is unavailable, use half-and-half or a mixture of milk and cream.
- Reserve pasta water is useful to adjust sauce consistency if it gets too thick.
- For extra heat, increase red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon.
- Use fresh basil instead of pesto if preferred, blending it with olive oil.
- Burrata can be replaced by fresh mozzarella if needed but will be less creamy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 600 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 60 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
