15-Minute Cheesy Chicken Veggie Pasta — EASY and ready in minutes!! The cheesy pasta is COMFORT food while all the veggies add a HEALTHIER twist! Family-friendly and perfect for busy weeknights!!
Quick and Easy Chicken Veggie Pasta
This time of year, I know we’re all trying to eat more veggies.
But it’s cold outside and pasta tastes so good, especially when there’s melted cheese coating every bite.
Between the broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green onions, and baby spinach, there are plenty of veggies so you don’t have to feel guilty about eating cheesy pasta when you’re trying to stick to those resolutions.
The chicken vegetable pasta recipe takes just 15 minutes to cook and can be enjoyed on its own or with a simple green side salad.
Chicken and Veggie Pasta Ingredients
This is a very flexible recipe that can be made using nearly any veggie you have on hand! However, for this exact recipe you’ll need the following:
- Penn pasta
- Broccoli and / or cauliflower florets
- Olive oil
- Chicken breasts
- Carrots
- Green onions
- Spinach
- Salt and pepper
- Shredded mozzarella
- Shredded Parmesan
How to Make Chicken and Veggie Pasta
This recipe is as simple as boiling pasta and adding broccoli and cauliflower florets for a few minutes at the end! Here are the basic recipe steps:
- While the pasta cooks, to a separate skillet add bite-sized pieces of chicken breast, shredded carrots, green onions, and garlic.
- Combine the cooked pasta, broccoli, and cauliflower with the chicken and carrot mixture.
- Then add fresh baby spinach, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese before digging in and devouring.
It’s an easy family-friendly recipe that is perfect for busy weeknights and sneaks in more vegetables than you’d think!
Ingredient Swaps to Try
I use recipes like this chicken vegetable pasta when I am trying to clean out my pantry and fridge. This pasta is very flexible and forgiving!
Some optional tweaks and substitutions include:
- Rather than penne pasta, use rotini, ziti, small shells, wheels. Healthy bonus points if you use whole-wheat pasta variations
- Use a white or yellow onion rather than green
- Swap the baby spinach for kale
- Add fresh basil or cilantro if you have it on hand
- Omit the cheese altogether, use only one kind, or use less of both the mozzarella and the Parmesan
- Add lemon zest, lemon pepper seasoning, or a spritz of lemon juice. (If that sounds good to you, try Lemon Pepper Basil Chicken and Pasta)
- Up the veggie quotient by adding bell peppers, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, zucchini, or yellow squash
- Add more plant-based protein with edamame, peas, or garbanzo beans
Pin This Recipe
Cheesy Chicken Veggie Pasta
EASY and ready in minutes!! The cheesy pasta is COMFORT food while all the veggies add a HEALTHIER twist! Family-friendly and perfect for busy weeknights!!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne pasta (ziti, rigatoni, rotini, wheels, small shells, etc. may be substituted)
- one 12-ounce package broccoli and cauliflower florets (or all broccoli or all cauliflower)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots, loosely measured
- 4 to 5 green onions, thinly sliced (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup)
- 3 to 5 cloved garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, loosely measured
- 1 to 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to package directions in salted water in a very large skillet or pot. In the final 2 to 3 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli and cauliflower florets. Drain but reserve 1/2 cup pasta water in case you need it in step 6.
- Return the pasta and vegetables to the cooking pot; set aside.
- To a large skillet, add the olive oil, chicken, and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Add the carrots, onions, salt, pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables have softened; stir and flip intermittently to ensure even cooking.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir nearly constantly.
- Add the chicken and carrot mixture to the large pot with the cooked pasta, broccoli, and cauliflower.
- Add the spinach, cheeses, and stir until cheese has all melted and spinach has wilted. Taste and check for seasoning balance and if necessary, add additional salt and/or pepper. Serve immediately.
Notes
Recipe will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 423Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 781mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 6gSugar: 4gProtein: 38g
More Easy Chicken Pasta Recipes
Asiago Chicken and Pasta – EASY comfort food to feed a crowd that’s ready in 25 minutes!! Tender chicken and penne pasta with red peppers, green beans, and everything is coated with Asiago CHEESE for the family dinner win!!
Lemon Pepper Basil Chicken and Pasta – EASY and ready in 15 minutes with comforting pasta, juicy chicken, and there is so much ZESTY flavor from the lemon, basil, and spinach!! A family favorite that’s perfect for busy weeknights!!
Honey Lemon Chicken Pasta – Ready in 20 minutes, making it the perfect weeknight meal! Pair with a simple salad or veggies and extra lemon wedges to amp up the lemon flavor. Your family will love this easy pasta recipe!
Greek Lemon Chicken and Orzo – EASY, ready in 25 minutes, and feeds a crowd!! Juicy lemon chicken with orzo, fresh spinach, cucumbers, and tomatoes make this a dinnertime WINNER! Great for parties, picnics, and potlucks!!
One-Bag Lemon Chicken and Pasta – An EASY lemon chicken and pasta recipe that’s family-friendly and perfect for busy weeknights!! Everything cooks in ONE bag! The chicken is juicy, the pasta is tender, and cleanup is a breeze!!
Chicken Orzo Salad – Juicy chicken tossed with orzo, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, and a super flavorful lemon vinaigrette!! Easy, healthy, ready in 30 minutes, and a perfect way to use your garden fresh veggies!!
Skinny Italian Chicken Pasta Salad – EASY, ready in 30 minutes, feeds a crowd, and is on the SKINNY side!! Juicy chicken, fresh veggies, and the pasta are tossed in a light and tangy homemade Italian lemon vinaigrette!!
Great suggestions! Thank you, Averie!
Is there a way to delete the ads that show up next to your recipes when I print them? I understand why they are there on your web site and they pay the bills, but I really would rather not print them when I print up your recipe. On most sites there’s an X in the corner whereby you can delete them. Don’t want to sound “picky”, but just wondering.
Thanks,
Peg
As of now, no. But just copy/paste the recipe in an email to yourself and print that. Problem solved.
Looks easy and delish–gotta give this a try!
This is such a perfect weeknight meal! We totally need to add this to our menu for this week!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Hi Averie! Thank you for the recipe. I am going to make it for dinner. I wanted to tell you though, that no matter what I try, I cannot print your recipe without printing the ads that keep popping up and I don’t want to print them. Just thought I’d let you know. Thank you, anyway. Dezi
Ok thank you for letting me know. I will have my developers look into it. Hope you enjoy the pasta for dinner!
Good post. Thanks for all the options.
You’re welcome!