Penne Rosa with Parmesan Crusted Chicken

4.60 from 25 votes

Penne Rosa can be a weeknight family meal or a romantic dinner you can make with your sweetheart. With a creamy, savory sauce and served alongside parmesan-crusted chicken, this easy pasta dish is one you’ll make again and again.

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Bertolli®. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Feast + West!

photo of penne rosa with parmesan crusted chicken

Okay, friends. Real talk.

Valentine’s Day is just about here and it’s time to decide if you’re going to make a dinner reservation or stay in.

There’s benefits to both: If you and your partner don’t go out a lot, Cupid’s day can be a good excuse to treat yourselves or try a new restaurant together.

I don’t know about you but, around here, the restaurants seem filled with teens, the wait times can be long and service isn’t always the best.

So if you’re okay to save the fancy date for another night, a cozy dinner at home can be just as special.

Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays where everyone seems to go out to eat. Personally, I would prefer to save our romantic nights out for times when restaurants are a little less busy.

A finished penne rosa dish and two jars of sauce and a glass of rosé wine

Penne Rosa recipe

I have been feeling all the stay-at-home vibes lately anyway, and I think this year we’ll just plan to stay home, make dinner together and watch a movie. Maybe make some popcorn.

Honestly, I think that sounds like the perfect date night idea for our first married Valentine’s Day.

Cooking together is truly one of our favorite things to do. We seem to cycle through a list of recipes for weekdays, but every so often we’ll plan out a super special meal.

One of our recent favorites is Penne Rosa, a delicious and easy-to-make pasta dish with lots of veggies in a creamy rosa sauce — all topped with succulent, parmesan-crusted chicken.

It sounds fancy, but it’s easier than you’d expect — and I think this dish will make its way into our weekday rotation too, along with this Spicy Vegetarian Black Bean Soup and this Spaghetti and Chicken Meatballs Soup.

Close up of Penne pasta with rosa sauce

What is rosa sauce?

My friends at Bertolli® sent me jars of two of their sauces to mix together to create a dish with a savory, mixed rosa sauce.

I discovered that when you combine Bertolli Traditional Marinara Sauce with Italian Herbs and Fresh Garlic and Bertolli Alfredo With Aged Parmesan Cheese Sauce, the result is a delicious, creamy tomato sauce.

The sauce reminded me of a Penne Rosa pasta dish I loved at an Italian restaurant I used to live near, so I set out to recreate it and share it with Chris.

Making Rosa sauce with marinara and alfredo sauces in a pot of pasta

You might never think to combine marinara sauce with alfredo sauce — usually you just reach for a jar of one or the other when cooking a pasta dish.

But together? The cheesy tomato combination is what makes this rosa sauce something truly special.

Not only is its rosy color is perfect for a Valentine’s Day dinner, but it is so full of flavor, you’ll want to put rosa sauce on every pasta dish from now on.

Did you know Bertolli Sauces are made the Tuscan way? That means they are made with just a few simple ingredients and are cooked lightly with olive oil. This lets any dish shine with tons of flavor.

I love this mentality, because it applies to a great home-cooked meal as well as a great date night: All you need are a few simple ingredients and each other.

How to make Penne Rosa

Penne Rosa with Parmesan Crusted Chicken is a relatively easy dish to cook. You just need to follow a few simple steps.

First, cook your pasta. I recommend following the package instructions.

in progress photo of vegetables and penne pasta

While it’s cooking, prep your meat and veggies. Next, bread the chicken and begin to fry it in a skillet, then start the veggies in a big pot.

Once the veggies are warmed through, stir in the pasta then the two sauces.

Everything should finish around the same time, and presto! You’re ready to eat.

Stirring together marinara and alfredo sauce to make rosa sauce

Penne Rosa is perfect for a Valentine’s Day date night (or any at-home date night), and here’s why: You can cook it together.

This is one of those dishes where it goes more smoothly if there’s two of you.

Is it possible to make all by yourself? Absolutely.

But cooking together is so much fun!

image of golden parmesan crusted chicken and plates of penne rosa

Here’s how my husband and I cook this dish together:

  • One of us starts the water for the pasta on one of the back burners, and then puts the noodles in when the water reaches boiling.
  • One person (usually Chris) will prepare, bread and cook the chicken in a skillet on one of the front burners.
  • Meanwhile, the other person (usually me), cuts the veggies and cooks them on the other front burner, then stirs in the pasta when it’s time.
  • We both usually finish cooking our components at the same time, and dinner is served!

For sides, how about these easy yeast rolls?

Serve it with a glass of your favorite wine or a rosy cocktail like an Elderflower Rose Gimlet or some Valentine’s Day Sparkling Sangria. (Maybe with a fun Valentine’s Day-themed drink stirrer?)

For dessert, maybe some chocolate peanut butter pretzel brownies are in order, or maybe a hot mug of rose white hot chocolate or an Italian affogato as you settle in on the couch for a movie.

finished plates of parmesan crusted chicken with penne rosa and rosé wine

What you need to make Penne Rosa

For this dish, I use two big pots and our cast iron skillet.

If you only have one big pot, don’t worry. I would cook the pasta first, then set it aside in a bowl so you can reuse the pot for the veggies.

You’ll have plenty extra, too, so you can enjoy the memory of your romantic cooking date night adventure for leftovers. (We often freeze some of our leftovers to enjoy another night!)

Penne pasta with rosa sauce

How to make Penne Rosa sauce

Penne Rosa sauce is made up of marinara and alfredo sauces.

If you’re game to make this recipe with your person on your next date night, you’re going to need to stock up on some jars of Bertolli Sauce.

A finished penne rosa dish and two jars of sauce

You’ll need one jar each of Bertolli Traditional Marinara Sauce with Italian Herbs and Fresh Garlic and Bertolli Alfredo With Aged Parmesan Cheese Sauce. Take one jar of each and stir them together to make a penne rosa sauce.

Enter your zip code to find these sauces at a store near you!

a plate of penne rosa and parmesan crusted chicken with a fork and knife and a glass of rosé wine

Let me know in the comments if you try making this dish with your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day!

— Did you make this recipe? —

Please leave a ★★★★★ review or comment below.

Close up of Penne pasta with rosa sauce

Penne Rosa with Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
An easy-to-make pasta dish that you'll love for weeknight family meals or a romantic dinner (with leftovers)
4.60 from 25 votes
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ingredients

instructions

  • Prepare a large pot of boiling water and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. 
  • Meanwhile flatten the chicken breasts with a meat mallet to an even thickness. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. 
  • On a plate, mix together bread crumbs and grated parmesan cheese. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and water to create an egg wash. 
  • Coat each chicken breast in the egg wash, then coat each side in the breadcrumb mixture. 
  • Heat half the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken breasts 6-8 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F. Place on a paper-towel lined plate. 
  • Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • Stir in the tomatoes and mushrooms. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until warmed through. 
  • Add the spinach, and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. 
  • Then add the cooked pasta, and top with both jars of sauce. Stir everything together until the vegetables and pasta are well-coated in sauce. 
  • Slice the chicken before serving over bowls of the pasta and sauce. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. 
  • Store chicken and pasta separately in airtight containers for up to one week. 

notes

Any leftover pasta can be frozen. Store in a freezer-safe bag or container.
To reheat pasta from frozen: Remove the pasta from its container and place the pasta in a baking dish. Cover with foil and put into a cold oven. Turn the oven to 350°F, and allow it to cook until it is serving temperature, around 20 to 35 minutes.

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nutrition information

Yield: 4 servings

amount per serving:

Serving: 1chicken breast plus 2 cups pasta Calories: 1346kcal Carbohydrates: 125g Protein: 89g Fat: 53g Saturated Fat: 19g Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g Monounsaturated Fat: 20g Trans Fat: 0.03g Cholesterol: 286mg Sodium: 4180mg Potassium: 1983mg Fiber: 11g Sugar: 18g Vitamin A: 3806IU Vitamin C: 28mg Calcium: 627mg Iron: 7mg
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4.60 from 25 votes (24 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Lisa Johnson says

    5 stars
    What an easy dish to make that was so delicious we had it three nights in a row! I really appreciated that it didn’t take hours and hours to make but sure tasted like it did!

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