Gluten Free Summer Spinach Penne Pasta

Welcome to the June 26, 2016 edition of Sunday Scratchups: Your weekly recipe from scratch around grocery sales and affordable ingredients. This week we’re making a light yet filling Summer Spinach Penne Pasta recipe using summer veggies and leftover chicken, to take advantage of our great seasonal spinach and tomato prices (or garden bounty!).

Not gluten free? Use any penne pasta you happen to have on hand (I used gluten free Barilla pasta, here). This pretty summer recipe comes together quickly on a weekday night, and is such an easy way to use up leftover chicken.

Gluten Free Summer Spinach Penne Pasta

Ingredients

12 oz box gluten free penne pasta
Pint grape tomatoes
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
5 oz fresh spinach
One cooked chicken breast, chopped or shredded
1/4 cup half & half
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
fresh chopped parsley, to taste
crushed red pepper, to taste
black pepper, to taste

Directions

Cook pasta al dente per package directions and drain, reserving a cup of pasta water. Meanwhile, saute tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil in olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until tomatoes begin to burst.

Add cooked pasta to tomatoes and stir in spinach until wilted. Stir in half & half, Parmesan, parsley, red pepper, and black pepper, thinning out with a bit of reserved pasta water if necessary. Heat through and serve immediately.

This pasta is so pretty!

On a hot summer night when you don’t want a heavy cream sauce, just the touch of half & half adds flavor here without adding heaviness — and this easy summer dish reheats well, too. We had leftovers because low carb MashupDad didn’t partake, so Mr. 9 asked for more pasta for the next two days straight and pronounced it “The Most Awesomest Pasta Ever.” He didn’t even pick anything out, which equals a win in my book.

I scratched up Summer Spinach Penne Pasta just to use up this last bit of leftover chicken plus some fresh spinach, parsley, and basil from our garden, but will definitely be making it again.

Gluten Free Summer Spinach Penne Pasta, printable recipe

Save Recipe! Saved Recipe!

Print Pin

Gluten Free Summer Spinach Penne Pasta

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

This pretty summer recipe comes together quickly on a weekday night, and is such an easy way to use up leftover chicken.

Course dinner

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rachel Singer

Ingredients

• 12 oz box gluten free penne pasta
• Pint grape tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 5 oz fresh spinach
• One cooked chicken breast (chopped or shredded)
• 1/4 cup half & half
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
• fresh chopped parsley, to taste
• crushed red pepper, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Cook pasta al dente per package directions and drain, reserving a cup of pasta water.
• Meanwhile, saute tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil in olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until tomatoes begin to burst.
• Add cooked pasta to tomatoes and stir in spinach until wilted.
• Stir in half & half, Parmesan, parsley, red pepper, and black pepper, thinning out with a bit of reserved pasta water if necessary.
• Heat through and serve immediately.

Notes

Not gluten free? Use any penne pasta you happen to have on hand — here, I used gluten free Barilla pasta. 

More recipes?

Find more recipe ideas with the Recipe Search.