date night pasta pomodoro with chicken & goat cheese is the perfect easy pasta dinner recipe! made with chicken, spinach, goat cheese, and a homemade roasted red pepper pomodoro sauce, this pasta pomodoro with chicken & goat cheese is on your table in 25 minutes or less, tastes totally fresh, & is perfect for date night!

this Recipe for Later!

because sometimes you need a little pasta situation. with oods of noods + juicy pieces of chicken + creeeeamy goat cheese + the easiest homemade roasted red pepper pomodoro sauce. am i right, or am i right?!

first of all, though, helloooooo from salt lake city!!! i’m still in utah for a couple of more days & it’s honestly been the BEST time. i came out here last week for a food blogging conference, but most importantly, to meet some of my closest friends in the blogging world!

chris came to join me over the weekend for a mini little getaway for his 30th birthday, just the two of us. we’ve been having so much fun! our two biggest priorities for the trip were hiking & relaxing together, because we honestly didn’t know what else to expect from salt lake city. but similar to london, we’re having the time of our lives.

anyyyywayyy. needless to say, it’s been an amazing trip. & honestly, just an amazing way to end an amazing month of travel.

but the back to back trips this month (milwaukee → london! → salt lake city!) have me so ready to cozy up at home & not leave for a minute or two. i’m so ready to fall back into our routine, which, most importantly, includes our weekly friday night date night at home.

& date night wouldn’t be complete without date night pasta pomodoro with chicken & goat cheese. 

am i right, or am i right?! ??????

it’s hard being right all the time. ??

friday night date night is a longtime tradition in our house. i’m pretty sure i’ve talked about it a bajillion times before, i really can’t think of many things that are better than winding down after a crazy week with chris (& pbr! ?) on our sofa, with some delicious eats & a good movie.

it’s really just the best. 

& when it comes date night dinners, they must be…

• easy to make! (30 minutes or less, please!)
• have a feel-good factor. it’s friday after all! there’s no better time to make something that feels a littttttle bit more special than what you typically make during the week.
• easy to eat. as in eaten out of a bowl. ?strange qualification, i know…but seriously, who wants to use a fork & knife while you’re trying to get cozy on the sofa?!

lucky for us, date night pasta pomodoro with chicken & goat cheese meets all of these criteria!

what is pomodoro sauce? 

this is something i go into a lot more detail in this post, but simply put, pomodoro is a simple, fresh tomato sauce with made with just crushed tomatoes, garlic & basil. unlike bolognese or marinara, which simmer for hours & have deep, rich flavors, pomodoro comes together in the matter of minutes & tastes totally fresh. i first learned how to make it when i was serving tables at an italian restaurant out of college, & i’ve been in love it with ever since.

i fancy mine up a teeny, tiny bit with some roasted red peppers, which gives my 5-ingredient roasted red pepper pomodoro sauce the most velvety smooth texture & an extra layer of sweet & smoky flavor.

so don’t let the idea of making a homemade sauce fool you. this is not a difficult recipe to make at all. you literally only need 5 ingredients & 10 minutes. super easy!

how to make pasta pomodoro with chicken & goat cheese – a tips for a great, easy pasta dinner!: 

• get that pasta boiling! i love to use a short, spiraly noodle in this dish, like trottole. the pomodoro sauce gets wound up in the spirals, making each bite even more flavorful. plus, there’s no twirling of long noodles happening, which makes it even more couch-friendly (see above! ???). since the pasta needs very little attention as it cooks, you can get busy with the rest of the meal. multitasking in the kitchen is key to getting dinner on the table (or sofa ?) quickly!
• burst some cherry tomatoes! yusss! this adds another layer of flavor to this pasta pomodoro with chicken & goat cheese, & it couldn’t be easier. you season some cherry tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil & a pinch of salt, then pop them under the broiler until they’re charred & burst. omg it’s so simple, but these tomatoes are an incredible addition to this pasta dish. they’re like little pillows of heaven – yes, that good!!!
• make my 5-ingredient roasted red pepper pomodoro sauce. again, i go into a ton more detail in this post, but this is a really simple & fast process. simply saute a bunch of garlic with crushed tomatoes & basil, then puree it up with roasted red bell peppers. you can, of course, use your favorite store-bought jarred pasta sauce, but why not make your own when it’s so easy & has no added junk?
• cook up some chicken. again, easy peasy. the key to making chicken flavorful is seasoning & cooking it well. it needs lots of love from salt & pepper, & if you toss it into a super hot pan, the outsides get deliciously browned. i dice up some chicken breast so it cooks even faster!
• toss it all together! add the pasta to the pan with the chicken, along with some of the roasted red pepper pomodoro sauce, burst tomatoes, spinach, & goat cheese. toss it all together into a noodly pile of dreams.

i mean…how easy is that?!

tell your sweetie to bring home flowers & wine, because you, my dear, have got date night dinner covered. 

(& he should prob bring dessert too, JUST SAYIN. ?)

if you loved this date night pasta pomodoro with chicken & goat cheese, here are some other easy pasta recipes you’ll adore:

• 5-ingredient roasted red pepper pomodoro sauce
• lightened-up pasta bolognese
• healthy weeknight eggplant lasagna
• marsala pasta with spicy italian sausage & mushrooms
• springtime kale pesto pasta with perfectly seared scallops

date night pasta pomodoro with chicken & goat cheese

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews

• Author: jess larson | plays well with butter
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: serves 4
• Category: pasta

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Description

date night pasta pomodoro with chicken & goat cheese is the perfect easy pasta dinner recipe! made with chicken, spinach, goat cheese, and a homemade roasted red pepper pomodoro sauce, this pasta pomodoro with chicken & goat cheese is on your table in 25 minutes or less, tastes totally fresh, & is perfect for date night!

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Ingredients

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• 8 ounces dry pasta (I love a short, spiraly noodle, such as trotolle!)
• 2 cups roasted red pepper pomodoro sauce (or other pasta sauce of choice)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
• 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces
• 8 ounces baby spinach
• 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• Kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
• optional, to garnish as desired: thinly sliced basil, crushed red chili flakes

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Instructions

1. Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the pasta & cook to al dente according to package directions. Carefully drain & set aside.
2. Burst the tomatoes: Preheat the broiler in your oven to its highest setting and arrange an oven rack in the highest position, right under the broiler. Place the cherry tomatoes on a small sheet pan. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and season with a few pinches of salt. Toss to combine. Broil the tomatoes for 5-7 minutes, carefully shaking the sheet pan every so often, until the tomatoes are charred and burst. Remove from the oven and set aside. 
3. Make the roasted red pepper pomodoro sauce according to recipe directions. If you’re using a store-bought sauce you can skip this step, but making one from scratch literally takes 5 ingredients & 10 minutes. It’s so worth it!
4. Cook the chicken: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken generously with 1 teaspoon each salt & ground black pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet, cooking it for 4-5 minutes per side, until the chicken is golden brown & cooked all the way through.
5. Assemble the pasta! Add the spinach, pasta, & roasted red pepper pomodoro sauce to the skillet along with the chicken. Toss until everything is combined, the pasta is coated in the sauce & the spinach is wilted down. Once everything is combined, add in the burst tomatoes and crumbled goat cheese, gently stirring once more to combine.
6. Serve the pasta pomodoro with chicken & goat cheese in individual bowls, topped with a sprinkling of thinly sliced basil & crushed red pepper flakes as desired. Enjoy!

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Notes

• Homemade pomodoro vs. store-bought sauce. Honestly, either will work just fine in this recipe! It takes 5 ingredients & 10 minutes to whip up a batch of my roasted red pepper pomodoro sauce, which will be enough to make date night pasta pomodoro with chicken & goat cheese 2 times.
• Make it your own! I think the combination of the slightly sweet roasted red pepper pomodoro sauce, chicken, spinach, and tangy goat cheese is perfection, but feel free to add & swap things to make it your own! Chicken sausage would be fantastic, & so would some shredded kale. You could use mini mozzarella balls in place of goat cheese, too! This dish is so versatile, which makes it so fun to cook.
• Pair it with some great wine. A nice, medium-bodied red will pair perfectly. Find a good bottle of Chianti (yum!), or if you want to make date night extra special, go for a nice Super Tuscan (double yum!).
• Leftovers reheat well. This recipe serves 4, so invite some friends over or simply reheat the leftovers in the microwave for a few minutes.

pin this 5-ingredient roasted red pepper pomodoro sauce recipe for later!