The other day my kids have decided I was the “pasta master” since I guess I cook a lot of pasta for them, which is true. Why pasta? Well for one it’s delicious and two, they will eat it! There are so many varieties to it and it can incorporate real any ingredient.
I’m always on a mission to find new sauces for my pasta because my son isn’t too big of a fan of regular marinara and I want to give them more than “buttered noodles”. This week I was in the mood for some pasta and has some chicken that I needed to cook so I threw some ingredients together and make this dish and it was SO good! Tasty, easy to make and the kids ate it! It’s made with all healthy ingredients so as long as you eat the correct portion (haha) then it’s a good choice for dinner.
This sauce uses a creamy garlic sauce that I made with milk instead of cream since I am constantly trying to make things healthier for us.
- For the Pasta:
- 10 oz. pasta (whatever shape you wish)
- 5-6 chicken tenders, chopped in chunks
- 2 zucchinis, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 3 slices of bacon
- salt and pepper for chicken
- For the cream sauce:
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ cups milk
- ¾ cups chicken broth
- salt and pepper
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt/papper to taste
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted, boiling water until al dente. Drain then set aside.
- Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate then discard all but 1 teaspoon bacon grease. Add chicken to the skillet then season with salt and pepper and saute until cooked through. Add zucchini and cherry tomatoes then saute until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile melt butter in extra virgin olive oil in a skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic then saute for 30 seconds. Sprinkle in flour then whisk until smooth and cook for 1 minute to make a rue. Slowly add in milk and chicken broth, whisking to avoid lumps. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Reduce heat and switch to a wooden spoon and stir until thick and bubbly, stirring often, about 10 minutes total. Remove from heat then stir in parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
- Combine pasta, chicken and zucchini mixture, sauce, and bacon then scoop and serve.
This pasta is perfect for any time of year and can be adjusted to fit most veggies that you have available in your drawer. The garlic cream sauce is super and isn’t too heavy, which is a good thing!
This was a great “one pot” meal with everything that I want my kids to be eating all in one bowl!
Do you love pasta as much as I do?? What’s your favorite sauce?
Looking for more pasta recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
This looks awesome!! I could eat pasta every day (I try not to but….).
Me too!!! I love pasta, my butt doesn’t, but I do! 😉
ohhh delish! My son claims to be a pastatarian – has to have pasta every day lol – so he will love this. Thanks for sharing your zucchini chicken tomato garlic pasta!
Yay! I hope he loves it!