Our paremesan ground chicken pasta is a dinner casserole that your kids are going to love. Made with gluten-free pasta, marinara sauce, fresh garlic, and lots of cheese, it’s a favorite for busy weeknights. This family favorite is packed with nutrients and lean protein and tastes even better the next day.
This ground chicken recipe is very versatile allowing you to swap in foods you have on hand. You can swap the ground chicken for regular ground beef or even ground pork would be delicious. You can choose the pasta of your choice. We like shorter pasta like elbows or penne pasta but you could use spaghetti as well or for a low carb option try serving the meat sauce over spaghetti squash.
Want to add more kid-friendly ground chicken recipes to the dinner menu? Our quick and easy Gluten Free Chicken Meatballs and Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets are both delicious meal options.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- 12 ounces gluten-free pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground chicken ✅
- 24 ounces marinara sauce ✅We like Classico
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes ✅
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese ✅
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
Gluten-Free Guide: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten.
How To Make
Start by bringing a large stockpot of water to a boil. Cook the gluten-free pasta for about 7 minutes or until al dente (a little firm). Drain. For extra flavor, you can cook the pasta in chicken broth if desired.
Next, add the olive oil to a large skillet heated over medium-high heat. Cook onions until they are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the lean ground chicken and cook until browned.
Add the marinara, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Stir well. Add the cooked pasta and the cheese, stir. Blend in the fresh herbs. Serve hot.
Recipe Variations
- Ground meat: Swap the chicken for another lean protein such as ground turkey, lean ground beef, or cook a chicken breast and serve sliced on top of the pasta
- Cheese: Add a layer of grated parmesan cheese to the top of the dish before serving. Swap parmesan for mozzarella cheese or asiago.
- Pasta: Switch up the noodle shape by using penne, rotini, shells or fusilli instead of elbow pasta
- Vegetables: Mix veggies into the pasta dish such as chopped squash, artichoke hearts, bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms or broccoli
- Make It Creamy: Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream to turn this into a creamy ground chicken pasta
Frequently Asked Questions
Serve as-is for a complete meal or pair with a side salad, roasted vegetable medley, green beans, gf crusty bread or your family’s favorite Italian side dish.
Absolutely, easily turn into a dairy-free version by omitting the parmesan cheese then flavoring with 1-2 Tablespoons of nutritional yeast or a shredded dairy-free cheese alternative.
Kids In The Kitchen
Cooking tips and suggestions for kids making this recipe.
- Check the side or back of the pasta box to know how long to cook the noodles then add the noodles to the boiling water and set a timer.
- Translucent means the onions have lost their white color and turned clear. They will also start to smell sweet as they turn translucent.
- Swap ground chicken with leftover rotisserie chicken or canned chicken.
Storage Instructions
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To reheat from chilled, microwave in increments until hot. To reheat from frozen, let thaw overnight then heat in the microwave.
More Pasta Recipes with Chicken
- Chicken and Bacon Pasta
- Healthy Crack Chicken Pasta
- Crockpot Chicken Pasta
- Baked Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan
- 35-Min Gluten-FREE Creamy Chicken Pasta with Broccoli
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Parmesan Ground Chicken Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces gluten-free pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground chicken ✅
- 24 ounces marinara sauce ✅We like Classico
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes ✅
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese ✅
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- ⭐️Boil the pasta. Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta for about 7 minutes or until al dente. Drain.12 ounces gluten-free pasta
- ⭐️Brown the ground chicken. Add the olive oil to a heated skillet over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the ground chicken and cook until browned.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium onion, diced, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 pound ground chicken
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Add the marinara, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Add the cooked pasta and the cheese, stir. Blend in the fresh basil.
- Serve. Serve hot.
Notes
Recipe Variations
- Ground meat: Swap the chicken for ground turkey or ground beef
- Cheese: Add a layer of grated parmesan cheese to the top of the dish before serving
- Pasta: Switch up the noodle shape by using penne, rotini, shells or fusilli instead of elbow pasta
- Vegetables: Mix veggies into the pasta dish such as chopped squash, zucchini, mushrooms or broccoli
Nutrition
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Bev Walsh says
Fantastic easy recipe. The only thing I’ve changed is that I used colourful cavatappi flavoured pasta! Delish!
Thank you for posting!