Tomato Cream Cheese Pasta with Chicken and Pancetta

Let this smooth cream cheese pasta transport you to Southern Italy with the rich flavours of sun-dried tomatoes and pancetta.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American Italian

Keyword: cream cheese pasta

Servings:

Start cooking the pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to package instructions. While the pasta is cooking, cook the pancetta in a large pan until the fat has rendered, remove from the pan and set aside till need. To the same pan add the seasoned with salt chicken breast chunks and brown on both sides until golden and cooked all the way through, which should take 7-10 minutes depending on the size of your pieces.
Lower the heat and bring the bacon back to the pan and add the sun-dried tomato paste, sliced basil leaves or dried basil and minced garlic, cook while stirring for a couple of minutes, then add a couple of ladelfuls of the pasta water directly from the pot, let it bubble for a couple of minutes, then stir in the cream cheese and let it melt over low heat.
Drain the pasta once it’s cooked and reserve 125ml / 1⁄2 cup of pasta water. Add the pasta directly to the pan, toss to coat and season with salt to taste. Add a splash of pasta water if the pasta is a bit dry. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Tubed pasta shapes work best for this recipe because they carry more of the sauce with them, but any shape can be used.
Pancetta is more authentically Italian, but bacon is a good substitute if you can't find it, and will add more smokiness to the pasta.
For a lighter dish, the pancetta can be left out. Or even the chicken!
If you want to add to the sauce, vegetables like spinach, broccoli or zucchini/courgette will all taste great, plus adding fibre.
Full-fat cream cheese should be used because low-fat varieties tend to split when cooked. Full-fat cream cheese will also make this a much creamier dish.
The sun-dried tomatoes are important for adding flavour to the sauce. There are lots of different varieties that are sold, but it doesn't really matter which one you use.
Be sure to keep a cupful of pasta water aside to stir into the sauce. Pasta water is the best way to adjust the thickness of the sauce, with the starch adding creaminess.