Healthy Ground Chicken Pasta
This Healthy Ground Chicken Pasta recipe, so comforting and good, is delicious served with a simple salad! The leftovers are fantastic!
Here’s a delicious recipe for company, and it’s beautiful red, just like the Christmas holiday! :)
Healthy Ground Chicken Pasta
Often times I find myself with a pound or two of ground chicken, and this Healthy Ground Chicken Pasta recipe is my favorite way to use it. It’s also a great dish to make for company. Everyone loves pasta!
Or, you’re a ground turkey lover? Try this popular Healthy Ground Turkey Puttanesca!
This red sauce makes for the BEST leftovers—the longer it sits, the better it gets. I’m a ground chicken lover, so I was very happy when Abby served this to us a few weeks ago. What a nice surprise.
Ingredients for Red Sauce with Ground Chicken (Pasta)
- Ground chicken
- Fennel seeds
- Fresh ground pepper + kosher salt
- Fresh rosemary + dried oregano
- Tagliatelle Nest Pasta
- Olive oil
- Carrots + celery + onions + garlic
- Tomato paste
- White wine
- Low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- Tomato puree
- Diced tomatoes
- Fresh bay leaves
- Parmesan rind (optional)
- Parmesan
- Fresh basil
Speaking of which, we got to the top of Smith Rock a few weeks ago, on a glorious day, before it got chilly). Even though it was cold as the sun was setting, we got this beautiful sunset picture. We’re just missing a couple of our kids!
Easy weeknight pasta meal
Coming home, we grabbed the leftovers of this dish to enjoy for dinner.
Serve with a salad and hot crunchy bread!
Meal prep and substitutions
The sauce is great for meal prep, because it stores great in the freezer; simply pull it out to defrost in the morning, so that all you’ll have to do is make the pasta and maybe a salad! So easy. So flavorful.
You can substitute the chicken for any ground meat—turkey, beef, pork, or a mix.
You can use any pasta you have on hand (however, I’d stay away from extra-small varieties).
If you’re looking for a quick red sauce, grab my 5-Ingredient Pasta Sauce recipe.
This is just cozy-great for any meal this holiday season! An easy meal to make–one the whole family will love!
More red sauce recipes:
Trader Joe’s Red Sauce Enchiladas
30-minute Ground Turkey Lasagna Soup
ENJOY!
Get the Recipe:
Healthy Ground Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground chicken
- 2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
- 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 2 ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely minced, divided
- 2 heaping Tbsp dried oregano
- 10-12 Dellalo Tagliatelle Nest Pasta
- ¼ c olive oil
- 3 medium/ large carrots, about 2 c
- 2 large stalks celery, about 2 c
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 c white wine
- 2 c low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 28 oz can tomato puree
- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2-3 fresh bay leaves, or 4 dried
- 2 ’’ Parmesan rind, optional
- Parmesan to serve
- Fresh basil to serve
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the crushed fennel seeds, pepper, salt, rosemary, and oregano. Set aside.
- In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, add the olive oil and heat over medium-high. When shimmery, add the onion, carrot, and celery, and season with salt. Sauté for 10-12 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for 4-6 more minutes—the tomato paste should lightly brown, caramelize, and become fragrant.
- Add half of your chicken in a single layer and sprinkle with half of the herbed seasoning mixture, then add the remaining chicken and seasoning—this is done in layers to ensure the meat is evenly seasoned. Use a spatula to break up the meat and cook for 10 more minutes. Add the white wine and scrape the bottom of the pot. Finally, add the chicken broth, tomato puree, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, Parmesan rind, and a generous pinch of salt. Stir to combine, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring every 10-15 minutes or so, until reduced by about half—about 45 minutes.
- Make your pasta during the last 15 minutes or so of the sauce reducing. Tagliatelle pasta is a wonderful choice, but any pasta will do. Cook your pasta el dente according to package directions (I recommend setting your time 2-3 minutes earlier than instructed, to ensure you don’t overcook the noodles). A few minutes before the pasta is done cooking, add about 1/2 cup of the starchy water to the sauce; stir in.
- If you’re serving the whole batch of sauce, use a handheld strainer to transfer the pasta directly into it. If you’re reserving some sauce to freeze, transfer into storage containers before adding the pasta to the pot.
- Toss the noodles in the sauce for about 5 minutes before plating and serving hot with shaven Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
This recipe is delicious. Everyone enjoyed it. Thank you for posting