One of my favorite appetizers of all time is classic bruschetta, which is really just diced tomatoes, garlic, basil, and olive oil piled on top of toasted crostini. I fell in love with bruschetta when we were hiking in Cinque Terra, Italy and stopped in Corniglia for lunch and I had the most amazing bruschetta of my life. But for a weeknight dinner, bruschetta itself doesn’t quite cut it. So I took all the flavors of bruschetta and put them into pasta form with some chicken for the protein to make it a filling, complete meal. And just for good measure, I decided to make the entire meal in one pot. Looking for more easy weeknight meals? Be sure to also check out our Homemade Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet (with Video!) and Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo!
One Pot Meals
In a recent reader survey, I had an overwhelming 60% of readers respond that they wanted to see more one pot meals here on House of Nash Eats. The next highest category was for meals that took 30 minutes or less to prepare. So that’s what I’m setting out to share more! This one pot bruschetta chicken pasta checks both boxes since it can be made from start to finish in about 20-25 minutes and it’s all done in the same dutch oven or heavy duty pan. And oh baby is it ever delicious. Paul raved and raved about this one, and the leftovers were just as delicious the second day as they were the first. I have a handful of one pot, sheet pan, and skillet meals on the blog already but I will continue to work on adding more here throughout the year to try to give you guys more variety for your weeknight needs. In the meantime, check out my homemade hamburger helper cheeseburger pasta skillet, sheet pan shrimp fajitas, one pan green bean chicken and potato dinner, and skillet lemon chicken and rice for even more easy dinner inspiration. Although some one pot recipes have you literally add everything to the pot all at once, then cook it ba-da-bing-ba-da-boom, I actually think that most one pot recipes benefit from just the tiniest little bit of extra effort of preparing the dish with just a couple extra, simple steps. This is what I have done with my one pot bruschetta chicken pasta by browning the chicken first before adding everything else. Could you literally throw everything into the pot – uncooked chicken, pasta, tomatoes, onions, garlic, chicken broth, etc. – and have this turn out good? Absolutely. But it’s lots better if you take the additional five minutes to give the chicken a little color and draw out some of the flavor by searing it just a bit before adding everything else. Holding the cherry tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, and mozzarella balls in reserve allows their freshness and flavors to really be front and center and add a little extra texture to this dish that makes it so much more than many one pot pasta dishes that I have tried so far. It’s a common trick I use to elevate a basic one pot pasta – to sprinkle fresh herbs, chopped green onions, or even chopped peanuts over a one pot meal to add texture and flavor that might otherwise be missing by cooking most of the ingredients at the same time.
How to Make Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
Tips for One Pot Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Want to Try
Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp, Tomatoes, and Fresh Basil Roasted Red Pepper Sauce over Fettucine Noodles The Best Spaghetti & Meatballs Recipe EVER BLT Pasta Salad
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Copycat Costco Mac and Cheese
Creamy White Chicken Lasagna
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