Creamy, dreamy one-skillet chicken and tomato pasta with incredible tomato cashew cream sauce! Made with canned tomatoes, parm, fresh basil and lightened up with homemade cashew cream (in lieu of heavy cream). We’re leveling up with quick-cooking ground chicken to make this totally doable on busy weeknights! Simple ingredients deliver MAJOR flavor in this cozy meal your fam will devour on repeat.
Hi hi hello from me and my fave weeknight dinner winner as of late! I’m having a moment with ground chicken because it cooks in no time, making the 5pm hustle way less chaotic, ya dig? I always keep some in the freezer for SOS meals!
Pair it with trusty higher protein pasta, a restaurant-worthy [dairy-free] tomato cream sauce, Parmesan puddles and and a pop of green for a meal the whole fam will crave.
If you’ve laid mouth on my veggie-loaded Cajun pasta with cashew cream, you know I don’t mess around with cozy, filling pasta. And this one is SO YUM!
Starring ingredients
- Pasta: I know 12oz may sound like a strange amount but it’s perfect here. I tested this recipe with 16oz and it was tough to fit in a skillet. Then 8oz isn’t enough to feed my hangry husband. Brami is my top choice since it combines semolina and high-fiber lupini beans, AKA it’s more nutritious but tastes amazing.
- Ground chicken: Most tomato chicken pasta recipes call for chicken breast but I went a different route! Cuz sometimes I just don’t have the patience to pound it and sear it and the whole shebang, ya know? Lean, quick-cooking ground chicken makes this pasta easy, accessible, and extra filling.
- Canned whole tomatoes: It’s hard to find flavorful grocery store tomatoes, so when they’re the star of the sauce, I’m team canned tomato all day. I developed this recipe with whole peeled as they tend to be higher quality than diced. That said, in a pinch, you can use diced!
- Cashews: My favorite way to make a healthier cream sauce than IMO, tastes even better than heavy cream!
Let’s make it!
Storage
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days. I like to add a splash of water when I’m, reheating this in the skillet, but you can easily microwave it, too.
Cue the taste buds’ happy dance!
30-Minute Creamy Tomato and Chicken Pasta (no cream!)
-
Prep Time:
15 minutes -
Cook Time:
15 minutes -
Total Time:
30 minutes -
Yield:
4–5 servings 1x -
Category:
Pasta and Noodles -
Method:
Stovetop -
Cuisine:
Italian-Inspired -
Diet:
Gluten Free
Description
Creamy, dreamy one-skillet chicken and tomato pasta with incredible tomato cashew cream sauce! Made with canned tomatoes, parm, fresh basil and lightened up with homemade cashew cream (in lieu of heavy cream). We’re leveling up with quick-cooking ground chicken to make this totally doable on busy weeknights! Simple ingredients deliver MAJOR flavor in this cozy meal your fam will devour on repeat.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Instructions
- Place cashews in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Set aside to soak.
- Cook pasta in a large pot of well salted water per package directions. Don’t forget to reserve 1 cup of pasta water when you drain it!
- Meanwhile, warm your largest skillet (I use my 5qt braiser) with ½ tbsp oil over medium heat. Add ground chicken, Italian seasoning, ½ tsp kosher salt and plenty of fresh black pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until cooked though. Transfer to a large plate and drain if desired.
- Add remaining ½ tbsp oil to skillet over medium low heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir for 30 seconds then add red pepper flakes, remaining ¾ tsp kosher salt, and tomatoes and their juices, squishing them apart with your fingers into the pan. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer while you make cashew cream.
- Drain cashews. Place in blender (I use my Nutribullet) with 1 cup reserved cooled pasta water and blend until very smooth and creamy. Stir cashew cream into skillet. Add parmesan and cooked chicken.
- Carefully stir in pasta, tossing to coat. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Serve hot garnished with fresh basil, parmesan and red pepper flakes!
Notes
This can easily be made vegetarian or vegan. Simply swap the chicken for a can of lentils (be sure to season) or use your favorite plant-based meat alternative!
* Use ¼ tsp for mild/for kids; it won’t be spicy! For a kick, you can use ¾ tsp.
