One-Pot

Healthy Creamy One Pot Pasta is one of my absolute favorite meals. Spicy Italian chicken sausage, brown rice pasta and the creamiest sauce. Everything is cooked in one pot, so it could not be easier to make. On the table in under 20 minutes, this recipe is guaranteed to be a favorite.

Ingredient Notes and Health Benefits:

Brown Rice Pasta: A great source of minerals and fiber. It’s also gluten free and I find it to digest much more easily in comparison to wheat pasta. Trader Joe’s has one I really like.

Spicy Chicken Sausage: A great source of protein and it gives this recipe so much flavor. You can also use pork sausage.

Reduced Fat Coconut Milk: I love using coconut milk instead of cream. It makes the pasta just as “creamy” but has so many fewer calories.

Fresh Garlic: High in vitamin c, b6 and manganese. Garlic is so flavorful and so healthy.

Red Bell Pepper: High in vitamin A, C and fiber.

Fresh Basil: High in vitamin K, manganese, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C. I love the smell of fresh basil and it adds a lot of flavor and color to this pasta.

How to Make Healthy Creamy One Pot Pasta

Spicy Italian chicken sausage, brown rice pasta and the creamiest sauce. Sounds like heaven, right? The best part is everything (even the pasta!) is cooked in one pot. This makes it easy to cook and even easier to clean up.

1st Step: In a large pot, place olive oil, red pepper and onion. Cook for 2 minutes or until the veggies have started to soften

2nd Step: Add sausage, garlic, red chili’s, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up the meat as it cooks.

3rd Step: Add pasta, water, wine and sauce. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium heat for 7-10 minutes.

4th Step: Stir in coconut milk, basil and parmesan cheese.

That’s IT! Top with extra basil and parmesan and you’re good to go!

Meal Prep and Reheating

This recipe is perfect for meal prep. Place the pasta in a microwave safe container (I prefer glass) and store in the fridge for 2-3 days. To reheat, simply place in the microwave on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Check out these other Chef Nat one pot recipes One-Pot Creamy Sicilian Gnocchi and One-Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta.

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Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.5/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
5 hot chicken sausages
1 tsp red chili flakes
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
16oz brown rice fusilli
25oz arrabiata sauce
1/4 cup white wine
4 cups water
7oz low fat coconut milk
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. In a large pot, place olive oil and add red bell pepper and onion. Cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add sausage, black pepper, salt, red chilis and garlic. Cook for 5 mins, breaking up meat as it cooks.
3. Add pasta, sauce, water and wine. Cover, bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer for 7-10 minutes.
4. Stir in coconut milk, parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
5. Serve into bowls and sprinkle with extra parmesan and torn basil. Enjoy!

This pasta is really creamy, a little spicy, super flavorful and takes under 15 minutes to make. Since everything (including the pasta) is made in one pot, there is barely any clean up. This is one of my easiest recipes! It’s the perfect dinner or meal prep item for a busy week.

Ingredient Notes and Health Benefits:

Brown Rice and Quinoa Fusilli Pasta: I love that this pasta is wheat-free!  It’s easier to digest and still has all the same flavors as “regular” pasta.

Ground Beef: I buy organic ground beef and the leanest version I can find.

Reduced Fat Coconut Milk: This is what makes this recipe creamy, but keeps it both dairy free AND healthy.  I prefer the reduced fat version, it keeps the calories lower and still has the same great creamy texture. Make sure to use the canned version not the one in a carton.

Fresh Basil: It gives this recipe so much flavor and color, you can find this in the produce section of your grocery store.

How to Make One Pot Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta

We will make everything in one pot! First, place ground beef in a large pot and brown, covered, over medium heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Cook for about 5 minutes. Next, add the tomato basil marinara, pasta, water and salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add coconut milk, basil and red pepper sauce (optional) and stir to combine. Cook for another minute. Top with extra basil and enjoy!

One Pot Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 2 Minutes Cooking Time: 12 Minutes 12 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
16 oz brown rice and quinoa fusilli pasta
2 garlic cloves, chopped
25 oz tomato basil marinara
1 can (15oz) reduced fat coconut milk
1 cup basil, roughly chopped
2 tbsp italian bamba hot pepper sauce (optional)
3 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Place ground beef in a large pot and brown, covered, over medium heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Cook for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the tomato basil marinara, pasta, water and salt and pepper.
3. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes (the pasta will cook).
4. Reduce heat to low, add coconut milk, basil and red pepper sauce (optional) and stir to combine. Cook for another minute.
5. Top with extra basil and enjoy!

This One-Pot (yes, you heard that correctly.. everything, even the pasta, is cooked in one pot) recipe is creamy, a little spicy and so full of flavor.  It comes together in under 20 minutes and makes the perfect weeknight dinner.

Ingredient Notes:

Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenderloins: I prefer to buy tenderloins for this recipe.  It is the leanest part of the chicken and is already thinly sliced, so it makes it easy to cut it into small cubes.

Reduced Fat Coconut Milk: This is what makes this recipe creamy, but keeps it both dairy free AND healthy.  I prefer the reduced fat version, it keeps the calories lower and still has the same great creamy texture.

Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes: These comes in a can.  If you like spice, there is one that comes with diced chili’s in it, which I used for this recipe.  Any fire roasted tomatoes will work perfectly.

Brown Rice and Quinoa Fusilli Pasta: I love that this pasta is wheat-free!  It’s easier to digest and still has all the same flavors as “regular” pasta.

Seasoning: You can purchase cajun seasoning from the store, however I MUCH prefer to make my own.  It uses ingredients that you will probably already have at home, too!

How to Make One-Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

The BEST part of this recipe (ok maybe the it’s actually the flavor…) is that it’s all made in ONE POT! This means there’s very minimal clean-up and we LOVE that!

Let’s get started! First, we will combine all seasoning ingredients into a small bowl.  Next, we will cube the chicken so the pieces are about 1/4-1/2 inch big. Drizzle olive oil over the chicken and stir to coat.  Pour the seasonings on top and stir again to coat chicken.  Place the chicken into a large pot, that is heated over medium heat.  Cook for about 2 minutes per side, just until the chicken begins to brown (do NOT cook it all the way through at this point, that will dry it out). Add onions to pot and cook another 2 mins.  Next, add in chicken broth, tomatoes and pasta.  Stir to combine all ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for about 8 minutes. Add coconut milk, stir and cook for another minute on low heat. Remove from pot and top with green onion.

One-Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 2 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 Minutes 15 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

1 lb boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
1 can reduced fat coconut milk
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes
8 oz brown rice and quinoa fusilli pasta
1 yellow onion, diced
2 green onions, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil

Homemade Cajun Seasoning:
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Combine seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix
2. Cut chicken into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces and place into a medium sized bowl
3. Pour olive oil over chicken and stir to coat chicken
4. Pour seasoning over chicken and stir to coat
5. Pour seasoned chicken into a large pot and cook over medium for 2 minutes per side
6. Pour diced onion into pot and cook for another 2 minutes
7. Add chicken broth, tomatoes and pasta to pot and stir to combine all ingredients
8. Cover and bring to a boil
9. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook for 8 minutes
10. Add coconut milk and stir, cook for another minute on low heat.
11. Remove from pot and top with green onion

Short on time for weeknight dinners?  This very creamy gnocchi has you covered.  It’s so flavorful and comes together in under 20 minutes.  It also requires very minimal clean up since everything is cooked in one pot! Yes you heard correctly – literally all ingredients are thrown in the same pot.  The combination of the sicilian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil is to die for and the sauce is so creamy.  The best part? Since it’s made with reduced fat coconut milk, it’s healthy too!

Ingredient Notes:

Chicken sicilian sausage: I purchase mine from Trader Joe’s and remove the sausage from the casing.  You could also use a pork sausage.

Gnocchi: I also purchase mine from TJ’s and I buy it in the pasta aisle.  It is packaged at room temperature.  Make sure you don’t use frozen gnocchi in this recipe, as it defrosts it will make the rest of the ingredients watery. 

Low sodium chicken broth: Whenever there is a choice to buy low-sodium anything, I do it.  I would rather add salt as needed or to my liking. 

Sun-dried tomatoes: I normally purchase the ones in oil and drain the oil before adding them to the pot, however Trader Joe’s just came out with Julienne Cut sun-dried tomatoes in a package that are dried, so those work great, too.

Lemon juice: Fresh is best!  I normally squeeze the juice into a small bowl before adding to the pot, this helps to prevent any hidden seeds sneaking into your meal!  If you are extra short on time, you can use pure lemon juice from concentrate

Fresh basil: It gives the dish so much flavor! No need to cut the leaves, simply tear them off and then rip them into smaller pieces and toss in.  Reserve some extra for topping!

How to make One-Pot Creamy & Spicy Gnocchi

As I mentioned above, this recipe could not be easier!  You start by removing the sausage from it’s casing (if necessary) and adding it to a pot with a little olive oil to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.  Break up the sausage as it cooks until brown which will take about 5 minutes. Add in the coconut milk, broth, sun-dried tomatoes and lemon juice to the pot.  Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 min.  Yes – just 5 min! Gnocchi cooks very quickly. Remove the lid, stir and portion into bowls, top with basil and enjoy immediately. 

One-Pot Creamy Sicilian Gnocchi

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 Minutes 15 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.6/5

( 5 voted )

Ingredients

1 lb chicken sicilian sausage
18 oz gnocchi
1 can reduced fat coconut milk
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
2 tsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup chopped basil
1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Pour olive oil into a large pot, turn burner onto medium heat
2. Remove sausage from casing, place in pot.  Cook until brown (about 5-7 min), breaking up sausage as it cooks
3. Add coconut milk, broth, gnocchi, garlic, sundried tomatoes and lemon juice to pot
4. Bring to a boil and cook covered for 5 minutes
5. Add basil to pot and stir
6. Top with extra basil and serve