Crreamy Spinach-And-Sun-Dried-Tomato Pasta with Chicken
Sweet and tangy sun-dried tomatoes pop like flavor jewels in this one-pot Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta. It's an easy, comforting dinner that brings everyone back for seconds.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 547kcal
Ingredients
- 5 cups chopped fresh spinach
- 1 lb. uncooked penne pasta
- 1 cup sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes plus 1 tablespoon oil from jar
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 2 tsp. sliced garlic
- 2 Tbsp. leftover roasted garlic
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more to serve
- 2 cups leftover shredded rotisserie chicken
Instructions
Cook pasta and wilt spinach:
- Place chopped fresh spinach in a colander in the sink.
- Cook penne pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions for al dente.
- Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta over the spinach. Set aside.
Cook tomatoes and onions:
- Heat sun-dried tomato oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat.
- Add sliced sun-dried tomatoes and chopped yellow onion; cook, stirring often, until tender, about 4 minutes.
- Add sliced garlic, leftover roasted garlic, kosher salt, and crushed red pepper; cook 1 minute.
Finish with sauce:
- Add heavy whipping cream; cook until reduced slightly, about 3 minutes.
Complete the dish:
- Stir in pasta, spinach, grated Parmesan cheese, and shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Stir to combine, then gradually add the reserved pasta water until the pasta is coated to a sauce-like consistency.
Season and serve:
- Season to taste with kosher salt; serve with additional Parmesan.
Notes
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- Heavy cream works best for the sauce. Anything lighter, and it may not thicken properly.
- I always grate a block of cheese for my recipes. Pre-shredded Parmesan won’t have as much flavor and doesn’t melt as well.
- Cooking with the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes adds a deeper, richer flavor than using regular olive oil.
- The hot pasta water helps wilt the fresh baby spinach while adding flavor and heat. It also serves as a great thickening liquid for the sauce without diluting the taste.
- If you use frozen spinach, thaw it fully. Then squeeze out extra water before adding it to the dish.
📚 Variations
- For a vegan, dairy-free twist on this sun-dried tomato pasta, swap in oat or coconut cream. Use nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan instead of cheese. Replace the shredded chicken with tofu or mushrooms. It’s a delicious alternative!
- Use gluten-free pasta or serve the creamy sauce over zucchini noodles for a gluten-free meal.
- Feel free to add in additional vegetables such as sliced mushrooms to this rotisserie chicken pasta recipe. You can add them to the cooked onion and allow them to simmer in the sauce so that they are soft and tender for serving.
- If you don’t mind dairy but heavy cream cream is too rich, you could use Greek yogurt instead.
- Increase the red pepper flakes or add a pinch of cayenne for a little extra heat in this creamy spinach pasta.
Nutrition
Calories: 547kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 624mg | Potassium: 552mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2692IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 2mg