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

Chicken pasta recipes can get boring. Not this Italian-inspired recipe! You'll fall in love with the flavors in this Chicken Pasta with Bacon, Spinach, and Tomatoes in Garlic Cream Sauce. Easy weeknight dinner that the whole family will love! Sliced chicken breast and bacon are tossed with veggies and penne pasta in a delicious, creamy, homemade alfredo sauce made with Parmesan cheese.

4 Servings

Nutrition (1 serv.)	Amount	Nutrition (1 serv.)	Amount
Calories	1149 kcal	Sugar	9 g
Carbs	65 g	Cholesterol	225 mg
Protein	48 g	Sodium	755 mg
Fat	77 g	Fiber	5 g
Sugar	9 g
Cholesterol	225 mg
Sodium	755 mg
Fiber	5 g

Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 20 min Total Time: 40 min

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Bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta, and cook according to instructions (usually 10 to 15 minutes). Drain the pasta. Proceed with the recipe while the pasta is cooking.
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 keep chicken warm.
To the same pan (but without chicken), add heavy cream and bring to boil. Only after the heavy cream starts boiling, add shredded Parmesan cheese. Immediately reduce to simmer (low-medium heat) and stir, while simmering, until the cheese melts and the sauce is creamy, for about 1 or 3 minutes.
To the same pan with the creamy sauce, add chopped tomatoes, fresh spinach, garlic, crushed red pepper. Stir in the sauce on medium heat just until the spinach starts to wilt and sinks into the sauce. Add 1/3 of the cooked chicken (sliced into small strips) and half the bacon (already cooked and drained of fat). Mix everything. Remove from heat.
Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the sauce and reheat on low heat. When ready to serve, top the pasta with the remaining half of bacon (cooked, drained of fat, chopped, gently reheated) and the remaining 2/3 of the cooked chicken (sliced into small strips, gently reheated). This is done for presentation purposes.
When serving, top the pasta with 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

10 oz penne pasta (for gluten-free version, use gluten-free brown-rice penne)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb chicken (skinless, boneless chicken breasts or tenderloins)

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (thyme, oregano, basil - combined)

salt (to taste)

1.5 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded)

5 tomatoes (medium, chopped in large cubes)

3 cups fresh spinach (or 1 cup cooked spinach)

5 garlic cloves (minced)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (crushed)

6 bacon strips (cooked, drained off fat, and chopped)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded, for serving)

Instructions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta, and cook according to instructions (usually 10 to 15 minutes). Drain the pasta. Proceed with the recipe while the pasta is cooking.

Step 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 keep chicken warm.

Step 3

To the same pan (but without chicken), add heavy cream and bring to boil. Only after the heavy cream starts boiling, add shredded Parmesan cheese. Immediately reduce to simmer (low-medium heat) and stir, while simmering, until the cheese melts and the sauce is creamy, for about 1 or 3 minutes.

Step 4

To the same pan with the creamy sauce, add chopped tomatoes, fresh spinach, garlic, crushed red pepper. Stir in the sauce on medium heat just until the spinach starts to wilt and sinks into the sauce. Add 1/3 of the cooked chicken (sliced into small strips) and half the bacon (already cooked and drained of fat). Mix everything. Remove from heat.

Step 5

Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the sauce and reheat on low heat. When ready to serve, top the pasta with the remaining half of bacon (cooked, drained of fat, chopped, gently reheated) and the remaining 2/3 of the cooked chicken (sliced into small strips, gently reheated). This is done for presentation purposes.

Step 6

When serving, top the pasta with 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese.