Chicken With Pasta And Vegetables is a tasty dish that my mother used to fix when I lived at home. It’s easy to prepare, but leaves a nutritious and filling impression on the family. Best of all, there are few leftovers, so everyone gets a taste!
Imagine yourself at a cozy Italian restaurant. You’re enjoying your favorite glass of red wine and you’ve ordered some delicious chicken with pasta and vegetables.
Chicken Vegetable Pasta
A super fast last minute dinner idea, chicken vegetable spaghetti is a healthy, hearty pasta dish using spaghetti, chicken, and plenty of veggies, and comes together in under 30 minutes.
About this Chicken Vegetable Pasta Recipe
A quick, simple last minute dinner idea, this chicken vegetable pasta recipe comes together in under 30 minutes and is full of bright and satisfying flavors!
Flavored with fresh garlic, lemon juice, Parmesan, basil & parsley, this pasta is the perfect light dish to use with your favorite seasonal veggies.
I used chicken, asparagus, and fresh cherry tomatoes but the options for customizing this versatile, healthy pasta dinner are endless.
You can play around with the protein and swap in white beans, ground turkey, frozen thawed meatballs or even some shrimp.
And the choice of veggies is flexible too, so feel free to make this one your own and use whatever your family loves & whatever you happen to have on hand!
Process & Tips
At least once a week, some sort of pasta dinner with chicken and vegetables makes it onto our family menu.
And this simple variation that creates its own sauce in the pan is one of our go-to’s.
The best part is that once you know the base recipe, you can customize it and create any combination of protein, veggies, herbs & sauce that you like.
All you need to do is cook your pasta of choice and as it cooks, saute your chicken & veggies in a hot pan.
Then finish by adding your hot pasta into the pan with your chicken & veggies, and toss with lemon juice, Parmesan and fresh herbs.
Note: I use just a half a pound of pasta in this recipe because I like to have more chicken and veggies than pasta. But you can, of course, cook up a full pound of pasta if you’re feeding a hungry crowd – just add a splash more of chicken stock to stretch the sauce.
Easy Protein Variations to Try Instead of Chicken
Swap in some ground turkey, it cooks super quickly & easily!
Use some sauteed or grilled shrimp.
Serve it with frozen thawed meatballs or use these gluten free turkey meatballs or easy crockpot meatballs.
Use a can of rinsed, drained white beans for a quick & easy vegetarian version.
Ways to Serve this Chicken Vegetable Pasta
Since this dish is already packed with plenty of protein, veggies and healthy fats, it’s already a deliciously complete meal as-is.
But you can also customize it by adding fun toppings like fresh chopped basil or parsley, extra Parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast, toasted pine nuts, red pepper flakes, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, or some fresh cracked black pepper.
It would also be delicious with a big salad set out on the table for sharing.
To make a simple side salad, toss any fresh greens with an easy healthy dressing (if it were me, I’d pair it with either the easy balsamic vinaigrette or the creamy balsamic dressing!).
Ingredients & Modifications
Pasta: Whole wheat or gluten-free pasta both work great for this recipe. I used spaghetti but you could use any shape pasta you like.
Chicken: I used boneless skinless chicken breasts but you could also use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer. Both work great in this recipe.
Cherry tomatoes: The fresh cherry tomatoes make this simple pasta dinner extra tasty. I love how lightly sweet they are and halving them makes prep a breeze. Since we’re not using a pasta sauce, they help to give lots of flavor to the pasta.
Asparagus: I used asparagus for this recipe, but you could also swap in another green veggie (like green beans or sugar snap peas).
Chicken stock: I used low sodium chicken broth for this recipe but you could also use vegetable broth in its place.
Fresh basil and parsley: There’s just something about fresh herbs that can make even the simplest dishes feel elevated and special. And when it comes to pasta, fresh basil and fresh parsley are always a great choice!
Lemon juice: The fresh lemon juice provides some nice brightness and acidity to this dish, and really helps to lift up all the flavors.
Parmesan: It’s an optional ingredient but I love how the Parmesan combines with the lemon juice, chicken stock, olive oil, garlic and tomatoes to create a fresh “sauce”. For a dairy-free version, you could use a plant-based Parmesan or omit it entirely.
Olive oil: I like the subtle flavor from the olive oil but you can also use any other neutral oil you like – such as avocado, canola or vegetable oil.
Garlic: Since we’re using so few ingredients, I used fresh garlic cloves for this recipe for the best flavor. But you could use granulated garlic powder in its place if you prefer.
Kosher salt: Look for kosher salt with the regular iodized salt at the grocery store (it has a subtler flavor). Use less iodized salt if that’s what you have on hand.
15-Minute Cheesy Chicken Pasta and Vegetables
15-Minute Cheesy Chicken Pasta and Vegetables – EASY and ready in minutes!! The cheesy pasta is COMFORT food while all the veggies add a HEALTHIER twist! Family-friendly and perfect for busy weeknights!!
How To Make This Easy 15-Minute Chicken and Pasta Recipe
This recipe is as simple as boiling pasta and adding broccoli and cauliflower florets for a few minutes at the end.
While the pasta cooks, to a separate skillet add bite-sized pieces of chicken breast, shredded carrots, green onions, and garlic.
Combine the cooked pasta, broccoli, and cauliflower with the chicken and carrot mixture.
Then add fresh baby spinach, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese before digging in and devouring.
It’s an easy family-friendly recipe that is perfect for busy weeknights and sneaks in more vegetables than you’d think.
Comfort Food Pasta + Lots Of Vegetables = The Best Of Both Worlds
This time of year, I know we’re all trying to eat more veggies.
But it’s cold outside and pasta tastes so good, especially when there’s melted cheese coating every bite.
Between the broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green onions, and baby spinach, there’s plenty of veggies so you don’t have to feel guilty about eating cheesy pasta when you’re trying to stick to those resolutions.
Mix And Match
I use recipes like these when I am trying to clean out my pantry and fridge and this one is very flexible and forgiving.
Some optional tweaks and substitutions include:
- Rather than penne pasta, use rotini, ziti, small shells, wheels. Healthy bonus points if you use whole-wheat pasta variations
- Use a white or yellow onion rather than green
- Swap the baby spinach for kale
- Add fresh basil or cilantro if you have it on hand
- Omit the cheese altogether, use only one kind, or use less of both the mozzarella and the Parmesan
- Add lemon zest, lemon pepper seasoning, or a spritz of lemon juice. If that sounds good to you, try Lemon Pepper Basil Chicken and Pasta
- Up the veggie quotient by adding bell peppers, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, zucchini, or yellow squash
- Add more plant-based protein with edamame, peas, or garbanzo beans
One Pot Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Pasta
One Pot Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Pasta is a meal that both kids and adults will love! Chicken and vegetables are cooked in a cheesy, creamy sauce.
You can never have too many “one pot” recipes in your life. There are many reasons why one pot meals are so popular. The clean up is easy and everything cooks in one pot (yes, everything including the pasta). One pot recipes are great for weeknights or even when you are entertaining for guests but don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Trust me, if you haven’t tried a one pot meal then this One Pot Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Pasta should be the first one on your menu.
This one pot meal is made with simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. Kids and adults will love it! Because the pasta is cooked with the other ingredients, it yields the most creamy consistency. Combine the chicken and pasta with vegetables such as peas, broccoli, red bell pepper, and carrots and you will create a meal that is packed with flavor.
It is important to follow the instructions when prepping any meal. Make sure you leave the lid on for the specified amount of time to allow the meal to cook. This is especially important when making a one-pot recipe.
The pasta is cooked in chicken broth and water in the pan, along with the vegetables, chicken and cheeses. Follow the instructions in the recipe, and stir when needed. It’s great when you can make a recipe that only messes up one pan. And it really couldn’t be any easier to make a tasty meal for your entire family!
What are some of your favorite quick and easy dinner recipes? Do you have any one pot recipes that you really love?