Print

Chicken and Bacon Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes in Garlic Cream Sauce

Print Recipe

★★★★

4 from 1 reviews

Sliced chicken breast and bacon are tossed with penne pasta, fresh spinach, chopped tomatoes, and garlic in a creamy homemade Alfredo sauce made with Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 10 oz penne pasta
  • 1 lb chicken breast sliced into strips
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • salt to taste
  • 6 bacon strips cooked, drained off fat, and chopped
  • 1.5 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
  • 5 tomatoes medium, chopped in large cubes
  • 3 cups fresh spinach
  • 5 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes crushed

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta, and cook according to package instructions (usually 10 to 15 minutes). Drain the pasta. Proceed with the recipe while the pasta is cooking.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet, on medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook on one side on medium-high heat for 4 minutes. While it cooks, sprinkle the uncooked sides of the chicken with paprika, Italian seasoning, and salt. Flip the chicken over, and cook on the other side for 3 more minutes on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low-medium, flip chicken over again and cook, covered, for several minutes until no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from the pan and slice into thin strips. Keep chicken warm.
  3. In the same pan, add heavy cream and bring to a boil. Only after it starts boiling, add shredded Parmesan cheese – immediately reduce to low-medium and simmer until the cheese melts and makes the sauce creamy, about 1-3 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, spinach, garlic, and crushed red pepper; cook on medium just until the spinach wilts. Add sliced chicken and half the cooked bacon, then mix everything together. Add cooked pasta to the sauce, top with the remaining bacon, and sprinkle with additional Parmesan before serving.

Notes

For a spicier dish, increase red pepper flakes. Use fresh spinach for best texture as it wilts quickly into the sauce. Reserve some pasta water to thin the sauce if needed.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.rapidrecipes.blog/chicken-bacon-pasta-garlic-cream-sauce/