Creamy Chicken and Tomato Pasta with Veggies (no cream)

December 11, 2023

Creamy Chicken and Tomato Pasta with Veggies is an easy weeknight dinner made in one skillet, in 20 minutes or less. Your entire family will love this healthy meal idea that will definitely get added to your dinnertime rotation (serving suggestions for kids below!).

Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free, Dairy Free option

One of my biggest “make dinner easy” hacks I’ve accumulated as a dietitian and mom of 2 young kids (4 and under) is to use thinly sliced chicken breast when making chicken. It cooks SO quickly and is the key to making this Creamy Chicken and Tomato Pasta in less than 20 minutes.

I’ve now made this Creamy Chicken and Tomato Pasta with Veggies weekly and it’s safe to say it’s a new staple in our rotation because it’s…

Made in 1 skillet
Easy to make
Adaptable to serve kids and picky eaters
Perfect for veggies about to go bad in the fridge
a Great way to use up greens
Made in 20 minutes

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Creamy Chicken and Tomato Pasta with Veggies

You’ll need 10 ingredients to make this recipe, including:

Pasta
Thinly sliced chicken breast
Smoked paprika
Dried oregano
Granulated garlic
Bell pepper
Red onion
Jar of Marinara Sauce
Plain Greek yogurt
Baby spinach

In addition, for serving, I like to add basil and parmesan cheese on top for extra pizazz!

I love this recipe because it’s full of hacks I’ve learned over the years as a mom and dietitian. I first made a similar recipe years ago for my ebook, Thrive in 5. My secret to making a super creamy sauce without any cream is actually to use GREEK YOGURT, which is one of my favorite hacks to add a protein boost, but also a velvety smooth texture.

I used 2% Greek yogurt in this recipe, but you can use whatever you have in your fridge. I like using Greek yogurt because it’s thicker than regular plain yogurt, plus adds a protein boost.

The second hack, like I mentioned above, is that this recipe specifically calls for thinly sliced chicken breast.

I prefer to use thinly sliced chicken because it cooks in legit 5 minutes.

You could make your own sauce for this recipe, but I like to make realistic recipes for busy moms, which is why I love to use jarred marinara sauce.

I prefer to use a sauce with no added sugar because I think it tastes better, and the added sugar is not necessary for this recipe.

How can I make this recipe dairy free?

There are two ways to make this recipe dairy free.

Use a plain Greek yogurt that’s dairy free. There are tons of options available.
Blend in silken tofu in equal amounts as the Greek yogurt listed in the recipe. This does require an extra step to first blend the silken tofu with the marinara sauce before adding it to the skillet (versus just mixing in the creamy Greek yogurt).

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need to Make Creamy Chicken and Tomato Pasta with Veggies

You only need a few basic kitchen tools to make this recipe:

Stock pot to cook the pasta
Strainer; does anyone have a pasta strainer, like this, that you clip on?
Saute pan
Sturdy spatula
Cutting board
Good knife

How to Make Creamy Chicken and Tomato Pasta with Veggies

This recipe is quite simple to make in one pan (plus the pot of boiling water for the pasta!).

First, get your water boiling for the pasta. Be sure to salt your water well for the best-tasting pasta.

Next, cook the chicken. Thinly sliced chicken breast cooks much quicker than cooking chunks of chicken breast, so keep that in mind.

After that, it’s time to saute the vegetables. Remove the chicken from the pan first so it doesn’t overcook.

Now you’ll make the sauce. To the softened veggies, add the jarred marinara sauce and yogurt. Stir well over low heat so the yogurt doesn’t curdle.

Last, add the baby spinach to wilt and the finally the chicken back in.

Before serving, garnish the basil and parmesan cheese. Voila! You’re done!

How to Serve This Recipe to Picky Eaters

As a mom to two picky eaters, pasta night is always a win because it’s one of my kids’ favorite foods, but that doesn’t mean I can serve a mixed dish, like this recipe, and have it go over well. Here’s how I break down the components for my kids:

PASTA: I always leave some pasta plain on the side in case it’s a night they just don’t want sauce.

CHICKEN: When serving the chicken, I’ll also keep a few pieces plain (before adding it back into the sauce) or separate the chicken from the veggies in the sauce.

VEGGIES: Most nights my kids don’t eat veggies. However, my 4 year old loves cucumbers and peppers, so I would expose him to a cooked pepper in the sauce SEPARATE from the other ingredients, so he can choose whether or not he wants to try it. My daughter – no shot just yet… but she’ll come around!

Other pasta dishes you’ll enjoy: