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    Popular » Recipes » One Pan Meals

    One Pot Chicken Penne Pasta with Zucchini

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information. Published: Jun 6, 2016 · Modified: Mar 18, 2019 by Dee

    One Pot Chicken Penne Pasta with Zucchini is quick, easy and on the table in only 30 minutes. Your family will love this budget-friendly homestyle dinner!

    Jump to Recipe -

    one-pot-chicken-penne-pasta-with-zucchini

     

    This post was sponsored by Ragu. All opinions are my own.

    I love pasta, and I think it's probably the ultimate comfort food. Some of my fondest memories center around the big family dinners we used to have whenever we visited our Italian relatives back in Pennsylvania. Believe me, those wonderful people knew how to cook, eat and laugh and still do!

    Dinner was about more than just the food, awesome as it was. It was a chance to connect with family -- parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and more cousins. In fact, when everyone was together, we had to use several tables, all lined up in a row.

    My grandma would always make her own sauce, but my mom found it much easier to use jarred sauce, and she usually bought Ragu -- I think everyone I knew did back then!

    I started making my own sauce to avoid all of the preservatives and added sugar typically found in jarred sauces. It's actually easy to do, but the downside is that you have to make sure you have all of the spices and other things that you need on hand. I have a bad habit of forgetting to write things down, just ask the Hubs! Sometimes, I'll be in the middle of cooking and realize I'm out of a key ingredient -- ugh! So when I found these Homestyle Pasta Sauces from Ragu, I just had to try them. 

    You all probably know by now how much I love making one-pot meals -- They're a staple around here, and a terrific way to get dinner on the table in a hurry. So, I decided to make a quick and easy one-pot pasta dinner using a jar of the new Ragu sauce.

    This is a simple dish, and it's similar to one my family used to make, except that it all cooks in just one pot.

    Basically, you cook the chicken, and then you add the zucchini. 

    one-pot-chicken-tenders-zucchini

    Then, you add the pasta, water and sauce and cook until the pasta is al dente. Easy peasy. I chose Ragu Thick and Hearty Traditional Sauce because I thought it would be closest to the kind I grew up with.

    This is a nice, thick tomato sauce that's not runny at all. It fills the grooves in the pasta and covers the chicken, so you get tons of flavor with every bite.

    And, it honestly tastes a lot like my own. I didn't even add any extra spices, other than a little bit of red pepper flakes for extra kick, but you can leave them out if you prefer a milder taste.

    one-pot-chicken-penne-pasta-zucchini-ragu

    How To Make One Pot Chicken Penne Pasta with Zucchini

    one-pot-creamy-garlic-chicken-pasta-zucchini

    One Pot Chicken Penne Pasta with Zucchini

    Published by Dee
    An easy one dish dinner made with chicken tenders, zucchini and mini penne pasta in a homestyle sauce that takes 30 minutes to make
    5 from 6 votes
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    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Main
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 6 to 8 servings
    Calories 249 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 pound chicken tenders
    • 3 cloves garlic chopped
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 2 cups fresh zucchini chopped (about 2 medium zucchini)
    • 1 23- oz jar Ragu Traditional Homestyle Pasta Sauce
    • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 2 cups water
    • 2 cups mini penne pasta about ½ a pound
    • 1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese shredded
    • Chopped fresh basil and parsley for garnish optional
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil

    Instructions
     

    • Season the tenders with salt and pepper
    • In a large pot, cook the chicken tenders in olive oil until brown on both sides
    • Add the garlic and zucchini, and cook until slightly soft
    • Stir in the pasta sauce, penne pasta, red pepper flakes and water
    • Cover, and cook on high until pasta is cooked
    • Stir once or twice while cooking, break up chicken with spoon, and add more water if needed
    • Remove from heat, top with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, if using
    • Serve immediately

    Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 249kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 21gFat: 4gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 484mgPotassium: 369mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 70IUVitamin C: 1.4mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 0.8mg
    Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate it! Show me your dish on Instagram!Mention @meatloafandmelodrama or tag #meatloafandmelodrama!

    one-pot-chicken-penne-pasta

    My family loved this easy one-pot chicken penne pasta with zucchini. They gobbled it right up, and my youngest asked for seconds. And, I loved that I found a delicious jarred sauce that's simmered in tradition and doesn't have any preservatives or funky ingredients.

    It's a win-win situation, all the way!

    One Pot Chicken Penne Pasta with Zucchini.A quick and easy dinner with Ragu Homestyle Pasta sauce and takes only 30 minutes to make

     

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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Audrey S says

      March 09, 2021 at 3:40 pm

      This is exactly what I was craving! Delicious!!!5 stars

      Reply
    2. Gigi says

      November 07, 2019 at 7:31 am

      I did make my own spaghetti sauce for this and added tomatoes also. It was a hit. My daughter said 10,000 thumbs up.5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        November 07, 2019 at 7:54 am

        That's wonderful, Gigi! So glad you liked it!

    3. Griselda says

      June 22, 2016 at 7:37 am

      I made this for today's lunch and it turned out great. My biyfriend and I LOVE pasta. But, I did some tweaking to it. I didn't add the parsley, garlic, and didn't have fresh parmesan so I used the prepackaged parmesan and it was still delicious. I will continue to make this recipe and the best part it's only 297 calories!! WIN,WIN!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        June 22, 2016 at 12:09 pm

        Yea -- I'm so happy to hear you liked it, and that's great news about the calories! Thanks so much for letting me know. 🙂

    4. Shirley Wood says

      June 16, 2016 at 6:05 am

      You had me at 'one pot'! Ragu Homestyle sauces are our new favorite! It's delicious and saves me hours in the kitchen!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        June 16, 2016 at 10:38 am

        Definitely! I tried the Roasted Garlic in another recipe, and it was awesome!

    5. Miz Helen says

      June 15, 2016 at 10:42 am

      Your One Pot Pasta Dish looks amazing! Thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and come back to see us real soon!
      Miz Helen5 stars

      Reply
    6. Janet Vinyard says

      June 13, 2016 at 9:12 am

      Hi Dee, This dish sounds very delicious and your photos are just great! Well done! Blessings, Janet

      Reply
      • Dee says

        June 13, 2016 at 10:57 am

        Thank you so much, Janet. You've made my day! 🙂

    7. Katerina @ Diethood says

      June 07, 2016 at 2:31 pm

      WHOA! Consider my pizza dinner plans changed! How could I pass up this amazing one pot dinner!?

      Reply
    8. Jenny | Honey and Birch says

      June 07, 2016 at 7:14 am

      I'm going to add this to my list of weeknight dinners to try - looks delicious!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        June 07, 2016 at 10:26 am

        Thanks, Jenny! It was a huge hit with the entire family. 🙂

    9. Joanie @ ZagLeft says

      June 07, 2016 at 6:55 am

      What a great meal for the summer - it gets me in and out of the kitchen in no time!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        June 07, 2016 at 10:26 am

        Yep -- That's exactly what I need when it's this hot!

    10. Cathy Trochelman says

      June 06, 2016 at 6:48 pm

      We love Ragu, and I love the addition of zucchini! Sounds healthy & delicious!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        June 06, 2016 at 11:03 pm

        I try to sneak in veggies whenever I can, and even my pickiest eater ate this!

    11. Michelle De La Cerda says

      June 06, 2016 at 5:31 pm

      This meal would please everyone in my house. Including the one who wash the dishes!!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        June 06, 2016 at 11:05 pm

        I hate washing dishes, so I love meals like these. 🙂

    12. Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says

      June 06, 2016 at 3:03 pm

      That is my kind of everyday comfort dish. YUM! Ring the bell for dinner and set me a place.

      Reply
      • Dee says

        June 06, 2016 at 3:45 pm

        Thanks a bunch, Dorothy. There's plenty to go around! 🙂

    13. Florentina says

      June 06, 2016 at 1:32 pm

      Perfect summery dish! I love how easy it is to execute and all the colors going on in that pot! Yum!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        June 06, 2016 at 3:48 pm

        Thanks so much! We enjoyed it so much that I made a slightly different version the next day. 🙂

    14. Dee says

      June 06, 2016 at 12:23 pm

      Thank you so much, Taina! 🙂

      Reply

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    I’m the blogger, chief cook, recipe developer and photographer behind Meatloaf and Melodrama. I absolutely love to create easy, budget-friendly, homemade meals and treats for my family. I also love to think of new ways to repurpose leftovers so that my family will actually eat them!

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