Parmesan Zucchini Tomato Chicken Spaghetti - a delicious Mediterranean pasta toss with basil pesto and lots of grated Parmesan cheese!
This easy-to-make Parmesan zucchini chicken pasta is a great recipe for both Summer and Autumn seasons. Zucchini and chicken when combined can be bland, but in this recipe their flavors are deliciously accentuated by tomatoes, basil pesto and grated Parmesan cheese.
As you can see on the photos, there are lots of veggies in this Mediterranean recipe (which makes it healthy!), and the chicken adds the protein and makes this spaghetti a more filling dish for those of us who can't survive just on meatless recipes.
Start by cooking sliced zucchini (just use 1 zucchini) in a large skillet with olive oil and a pinch of salt:
After removing the zucchini, cook sliced chicken breast in the same skillet, and mix it with ¼ cup of basil pesto:
Cook spaghetti according the package instructions, and combine all ingredients together in the skillet: cooked spaghetti, cooked chicken, cooked zucchini, and cherry tomatoes. I used 2 colors of cherry tomatoes, yellow and red, and I sliced each tomato in half.
Add another ¼ cup of basil pesto and mix everything together! Reheat gently. Top with Parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
Parmesan Zucchini Tomato Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 zucchini sliced
- salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 lb chicken breast , uncooked, sliced
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- 8 oz spaghetti , uncooked (use gluten free spaghetti, for gluten free version)
- 1 cup red cherry tomatoes , each sliced in half
- 1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes , each sliced in half
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese , grated
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat until hot. Add sliced zucchini, sprinkle with salt, and cook, on medium-high heat, for about 5 minutes, flipping once, until the zucchini is soft and slightly browned. Remove zucchini from the skillet.
- To the same skillet, add one teaspoon of olive oil and sliced chicken breast. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and cook on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes, flipping chicken slices a couple of times, until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Remove from heat, and stir in ¼ cup of basil pesto with the chicken slices.
- In a large pot, bring water to boil, add spaghetti, and cook until al dente, according to the package instructions. Drain pasta.
- Add cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with the cooked chicken. Add red and yellow cherry tomatoes (each one sliced in half). Add back cooked zucchini. Add another ¼ cup of basil pesto, stir everything together, and reheat gently on low-medium heat. Taste and add extra basil pesto (if desired) and extra salt, if needed. Remove from heat. Sprinkle ⅓ cup of grated Parmesan cheese over the pasta in the skillet.
- When serving, sprinkle each individual serving plate with extra Parmesan, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This is the best recipe! So tasty and delicious I made it 2x in a week. I tried it with gluten free rotini but will go back to gf spaghetti. Rotini did not hold up. Also, tried it with sundried tomatoes and was great also. This is now a staple in my meal planning. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you, Marcia, for your rave review! This is such a great summer meal! 🙂
Can't wait to try this recipe, looks delicious and easy. Also looks like a great recipe to add other vegetables and other things like seafood.
This recipe is definitely very flexible and will work with other veggies, like mushrooms, spinach, asparagus, bell peppers, or broccoli!
Looks so good. Could you make it without the chicken? Otherwise as is?
Yes, you can make it meatless; it would be quite delicious that way, too!
i made this before and it was excellent. Gonna make it again today for the family. Thank you!
My family and I loved this recipe!! Next time I think I will use bow tie pasta. Spaghetti was a little hard to incorporate all the ingredients but the flavor was spot on!
Eden, I am so glad you loved this pasta dish! It will work with any pasta shapes. Thank you for your review! ❤️❤️
Delicious. Tried for the first time and used homegrown cherry tomatoes, homegrown yellow zucchini (instead of green) and added homegrown basil. So fresh and tasty. Definitely will make again. Thanks for the delish recipe.
I'm not a stickler for exact measurements. That said, I added spinach and lots of garlic and red pepper I also used bowtie pasta because it's what I had. I love the flavorings together. Winner!
I plan to try this soon! Looks soo good. However, I will use spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or palmini noodles instead of the typical pasta. And also mozzarella instead of parmesan for a little more protein.
My family is always asking for this! So fast, easy and fresh. I added some lemon zest and a splash of lemon juice and fresh basil!
Brytnie, I love reading comment like this! 🙂 And love the addition of lemon!