Rigatoni ground chicken and peas is a 30-minute dinner recipe that can be cooked in your frying pan. Made with simple ingredients you can find at your grocery store including ground chicken, rigatoni pasta, frozen peas, and feta cheese. This recipe is quick and fast and perfect for busy weeknights.
Rigatoni Ground Chicken and Peas Skillet
This recipe cost me under $10 to make and was put together in about 30 minutes… what more do you need for a weeknight dinner? I’m such a fan of fast and easy dinner ideas and this one doesn’t disappoint. Dinners should taste good, but also be easy for you to make!
Most kids love this recipe. It’s full of saucy pasta and simple peas. If your kids aren’t a fan of feta cheese you can use shredded mozzarella, fresh parmesan, or wait to add the cheese until you serve on plates.
Ingredients For Rigatoni Ground Chicken and Peas Skillet
- Ground Chicken – Today I’m using ground chicken for this recipe. You can also use ground turkey or lean ground beef.
- Rigatoni Pasta – Rigatoni pasta is a shape of pasta that you can find at most grocery stores. You can also use penne pasta. I prefer to use brown rice pasta noodles in all of my recipes as my husband is gluten-free.
- Frozen Peas – we’re keeping things super simple tonight and just using frozen peas. Feel like making it fancy? You can add frozen corn too.
- Spices – This recipe uses simple spices to keep the entire family happy. Today we’re using a pinch of red pepper flakes, dried basil, salt, and pepper.
- Feta Cheese – This topping is optional but tastes great. If your kids don’t like feta, just add it to the individual plates afterward or substitute it with mozzarella cheese or parmesan cheese.
- Tomato Sauce – to help thicken the recipe I used tomato paste and crushed tomatoes.
How To Make The Rigatoni Ground Chicken and Peas Skillet
From start to finish, this recipe can be on your family’s plates in under 30 minutes.
- COOK THE PASTA: In a separate pot, cook the pasta noodles according to package instructions. Once they’re done, rinse under cold water and drain completely.
- COOK GROUND CHICKEN: Add a little bit of cooking oil to the frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken and use a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces as it cooks. Cook the chicken until it’s no longer pink, then add in the tomato paste.
- STIR IN PASTA, PEAS AND TOMATO SAUCE: Let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- SPRINKLE FETA CHEESE: Crumble the feta cheese over top of the frying pan. Scoop onto plates and enjoy.
Can I Use Ground Turkey Or Ground Beef?
Yes. You can use ground turkey or lean ground beef for this recipe. Both will taste great!
Does This Have To Cook In A Skillet? Can I Use A Frying Pan?
Yes! No need for a cast iron skillet, this recipe will work in any kind of regular frying pan as well.
Can I use Different Pasta?
Absolutely. Have a different package of pasta in your cupboard that you want to use up? Cook that one instead. This recipe is easily customizable.
More Fast Dinners In A Frying Pan:
Now that you have this recipe in your back pocket, here’s a few more dinner recipes you might want to try.
- Easy Skillet Lasagna – takes less time to make than traditional lasagna and the results are just as delicious.
- Sweet and Sour Sausage – so easy to prep and dinner is served in under 30 minutes – perfect for busy weeknights.
- Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry – fast and simple, and a family favorite.
- Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet – a popular recipe on my blog – healthy, easy to make, and budget-friendly!
Rigatoni with Ground Chicken and Peas
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 small can tomato paste - 5.5 oz
- 12 oz rigatoni pasta (1.5 cups dried rigatoni) - or penne pasta
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water according to package instructions. Drain and rinse pasta under cold water. Set aside.
- In a frying pan over medium high heat, add 1 Tbsp cooking oil, minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add in ground chicken and mix together. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in the tomato paste.
- Add the cooked pasta, peas, crushed tomatoes, dried basil, and red pepper flakes to the pan. Mix everything together and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese. Scoop onto plates and serve.
Recipe Notes:
- Ground chicken can be substituted with ground turkey or lean ground beef.
- Feta cheese can be substituted for mozzarella cheese, parmesan or no cheese at all.
- If you don’t have rigatoni pasta you can use any kind of pasta you’d like.
Nutrition Info Note: The actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes and the size and number of what you make. The nutritional values provided above are just an estimate. Actual numbers will vary based on brands you choose and the ingredients you use.
If you’re looking for more specific details (for example, to track your macros) then I recommend adding specific brand ingredients and this recipe to a food tracker app on your phone.
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