Description
Make this One-Pot Creamy Tuscan Pasta for a cozy, quick weeknight dinner. This recipe delivers rich, comforting flavor without complicated steps, bringing a taste of home right to your table.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound pasta (penne or rotini work well)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces (optional)
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water before draining. Set the drained pasta aside.
- If using chicken, season it lightly with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.
- Add the chopped onion to the same pot and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in the heavy cream and Italian seasoning. Let the sauce gently simmer for 3-5 minutes, allowing it to thicken slightly.
- Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Return the cooked chicken (if using) to the pot. Add the fresh spinach and stir until it wilts into the sauce.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pot. Toss everything together until the pasta is fully coated in the creamy sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water until you reach your desired consistency.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- This recipe is great even without the chicken for a vegetarian meal.
- Make sure you use the reserved pasta water; the starch helps the sauce cling to the pasta perfectly.
- Fresh spinach wilts down quickly, so add it right at the end.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: One-Pot/Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: Estimate needed
- Sugar: Estimate needed
- Sodium: Estimate needed
- Fat: Estimate needed
- Saturated Fat: Estimate needed
- Unsaturated Fat: Estimate needed
- Trans Fat: Estimate needed
- Carbohydrates: Estimate needed
- Fiber: Estimate needed
- Protein: Estimate needed
- Cholesterol: Estimate needed