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Creamy and cheesy One Pot Pasta Alfredo is an absolutely spoonful of flavor. It's not too rich; just incredibly delicious and oh so easy. Soft pasta, sautéed veggies, and a creamy sauce make for the best combo. I make this and enjoy it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner because it's just that good.
But if Alfredo isn't your favorite, check out this this Creamy & Healthy One Pot Pasta that's still creamy and pasta-y but less cheese forward. There's just something so comforting about creamy pasta dishes you know?!
Ingredients For This One Pot Pasta Alfredo
Pasta - I used gluten free Banza chickpea pasta but any type of noodle/pasta would work for this Alfredo recipe. I recommend a chickpea / veggie based noodle because they cook better in the pot.
Alfredo Sauce - My go-to jar of alfredo sauce is the Classico Four Cheese Alfredo that's available on Amazon or at Kroger and Publix usually. Feel free to to use any Alfredo you'd like or if you're feeling real fancy, make a sauce from scratch!
Chicken - I prefer using precooked chicken because it makes meal time for this pasta alfredo much easier. You could use a rotisserie chicken, make my Best Ever Grilled Chicken, or if you'd like, just cook the chicken fresh before making the pasta alfredo.
Water - Used to rinse our the alfredo jars to add moisture + extra flavor to this dish.
Vidalia Onion - Adds the perfect subtle sweet bite of onion to this pasta alfredo.
Mushrooms + Spinach - My preferred vegetable for this pasta dish but you could use whatever veggies / greens are in your fridge.
Cherry Tomatoes - These are optional but I LOVE the burst of color and flavor from sautéed cherry tomatoes.
Grated Parmesan - Adds extra salty flavor and makes for a super creamy, melty cheese sauce.
Olive Oil - Used to sauté the veggies and add a depth of flavor.
How to Make Gluten Free Pasta Alfredo
- Note prior to starting:**if you’re using raw chicken, you need to cook it before adding in any other ingredients. I usually make it as my Best Grilled Chicken Recipe or as an alternative: bake seasoned chicken breasts on a baking sheet at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes
- Heat a 6qt sauce pot on medium heat. Let olive oil sizzle, then add in chopped white onion, mushrooms, and tomatoes.
- Sautee for 5 minutes. Add in cooked chicken and spinach. Stir.
- Pour in both jars of alfredo sauce. To get the rest of the sauce on the jar, add ¼ cup of water to the jar. Put the lid back on and shake. Pour the rest of the water/sauce into the the pot. Total will be ½ cup of water. Stir until well combined.
- Add in 1 box of chickpea noodles. Make sure the sauce is covering the noodles. Cover the pot, leaving on medium heat. Stir every 5 minutes. If the heat is too high and your alfredo starts to crisp(burn), turn down the heat to medium-low. I started with it at medium heat and then half way through, turned it down to medium-low. I loved the caramelized cheese in mine so I think it will work well.
- Cook for about 20 minutes - until the noodles are completely al dente.
- Stir in ½ cup of shaved parmesan.
- Serve hot with extra parm - you are going to LOVE it!!!
Substitutions & Additions for One Pot Pasta Alfredo
The base for a tasty pasta alfredo is simple: noodles + alfredo. After that, everything else is up to your own personal taste! For instance, I use chicken as my protein and add in vegetables for an extra boost of healthy but there are so many more options.
- To keep this pasta Alfredo gluten free make sure to use a chickpea pasta like Banza, a brown rice pasta, or even a lentil blend from Barilla.
- Instead of chicken try making this with grilled steak tips, ground turkey, chicken sausage, or even a vegan option like roasted tofu / tempeh.
- I prefer the convenience of a jarred alfredo sauce but if you're feeling extra ambitious, try making one from scratch!
- Use whatever vegetables are in your fridge or that you enjoy the most. A few other veggies that I've tried in this dish are carrots, red peppers, zucchini, broccoli, and peas.
- Use spices like garlic, turmeric, paprika, or red pepper flakes to add an extra kick of flavor to the sautéed vegetables.
- Add fresh herbs like parsley, basil, chives, or dill for extra flavor + as a vibrant garnish.
One Pot Pasta Alfredo
Equipment
- 6 Quart Sauce Pot
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Wooden Spoon
- Measuring Cups
Ingredients
- 1 box, 8oz Chickpea Noodles (I use Banza)
- 2 jars of 15oz Alfredo sauce, I used Classico Four Cheese Alfredo - found at Kroger + Publix
- 2 cups of sliced chicken
- ½ cup water *, comes from the pasta jars to ‘rinse them out’
- ½ cup white vidalia onion
- ¼ cup mushrooms
- ½ cup spinach
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, optional
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- Teaspoon olive oil, can also use cooking spray
Instructions
- Note prior to starting:** If you’re using raw chicken, you need to cook it before adding in any other ingredients. I usually make my Best Grilled Chicken Recipe or as an alternative: bake seasoned chicken breasts on a baking sheet at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes
- Heat a 6qt sauce pot on medium heat. Let olive oil sizzle, then add in chopped white onion, mushrooms, and tomatoes.
- Sautee for 5 minutes. Add in cooked chicken and spinach. Stir.
- Pour in both jars of alfredo sauce. To get the rest of the sauce on the jar, add ¼ cup of water to the jar. Put the lid back on and shake. Pour the rest of the water/sauce into the the pot. Total: ½ cup of water.
- Stir. Add in 1 box of chickpea noodles. Make sure the sauce is covering the noodles. Cover the pot, leaving on medium heat. Stir every 5 minutes. If the heat is too high and your alfredo starts to crisp(burn), turn down the heat to medium-low. I loved the caramelized cheese in mine so I think it will work well.
- Cook for about 20 minutes - until the noodles are completely al dente.
- Stir in ½ cup of shaved parmesan.
- Serve hot with extra parm - you are going to LOVE it!!!
Notes
I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It's my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved, something that you think it might need, or just say hi!
Go RUN to make this recipe ASAP. And yeah, make sure you add all those veggies cause you can’t even taste them, but you’ll feel even better eating a heaping serving cause there are so many veggies. I only had to cook the noodles for ten minutes, and it was perfect.
The basil alfredo sounds incredible!! Thank you so much for the kind review, Chelsea 🙂
I made this dish for my family, and my fiancé said it was the best dish I’ve ever made! It was so delicious!!! I’m excited to make more of it in the future 💕
Made this for my fam tonight and they loved it - bummed there were no leftovers haha, but thrilled they loved it so much!
LOVE to hear that, Michelle!!