This creamy chicken pasta with bell peppers is rich, filling, and so easy to make. It’s a quick dinner that everyone will love.
If you’re craving a big cozy bowl of creamy pasta, this is the recipe you’re looking for. It’s simple and incredibly easy to make, but so rich and satisfying that you definitely feel like you’re treating yourself.
You really can’t go wrong with cream and parmesan, but throw some diced bell peppers and chicken in there and you’re taking your pasta game up to a whole new level.
And just a side note to the parents out there. If your kids are picky eaters, this is a great pasta for introducing kids to veggies they may be unwilling to try on their own.
The peppers are cut small and end up quite soft, so their texture is inoffensive, and their taste mild.
Ingredient Notes
- Rotini pasta: Rotini is my favorite pasta shape for this dish, but use whatever pasta you’d like. Penne, rigatoni, or even farfalle would also work well here.
- Half and half: If you don’t have half and half, you can make a quick half and half substitute by using about 2 parts milk to 1 part heavy cream (it doesn’t need to be exactly accurate). If you have leftover half and half, check out my post What to Do With Leftover Half and Half for storage tips and recipe ideas to use up the leftovers. (I recommend using it to make an extra creamy cup of hot chocolate .)
- Red and green bell peppers: The variety of colors is nice in this dish, but feel free to use whatever color/combination of colors of bell peppers you have on hand.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Pasta
- Cook chicken and peppers in a large skillet until chicken is cooked through and bell peppers are tender-crisp. Transfer chicken and peppers to a plate and set aside.
- Melt butter in the empty pan and add half and half. Bring the mixture to a low simmer and cook for 5 to 8 minutes until just barely reduced.
- Add cheese, spices, and salt to taste before stirring the cooked chicken and bell peppers back in.
- Toss with pasta and serve!
Can I make creamy chicken pasta in advance?
Creamy pastas are always best right after being cooked, but if you want to make this in advance, go ahead. You can reheat the pasta gently on the stove or in the microwave, but before doing so, add a generous splash of half and half or heavy cream since the pasta will have absorbed some of the liquid as it sat in the fridge.
Stir the pasta occasionally as it reheats and add more half and half/cream as needed to return it to its creamy consistency.
Can I make a smaller batch of this pasta?
Absolutely. No cooking or preparation changes are needed to cut the recipe in half or quarters. To avoid waste when halving, you can use a single bell pepper in any color. To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
Can you freeze creamy chicken pasta?
As I mentioned in my American Goulash recipe , I’m not the biggest fan of freezing pasta, but if you have leftovers and don’t mind the resulting slightly mushy noodles, by all means, go ahead.
Defrost in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave with a splash of cream, half & half, or milk (about a tablespoon per serving), and a sprinkle of Parmesan. In my test batch, I found the texture of the sauce to be a little lumpy after freezing, but stirring in the extra liquid and cheese fixed that right up. This can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
What to serve with chicken pasta?
Serve this pasta with a slice of garlic bread and simple sides like Roasted Broccoli , Roasted Zucchini or Roasted Green Beans .
More Comfort Food Recipes
- Pork Stroganoff
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken and Broccoli Orzo
- Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
- Beef Stew
Ingredients
- ▢ 12 ounces rotini pasta
- ▢ 1 pound (about 2 small) boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
- ▢ 1 small green bell pepper diced small
- ▢ 1 small red bell pepper diced small
- ▢ 2 cups half and half*
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 4 oz) butter
- ▢ 3/4 cup ( 3oz ) shredded Parmesan cheese plus more for topping
- ▢ 1 teaspoon chives or green onions minced, optional
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Pasta
- In a large pot, boil water for pasta. Salt lightly and add rotini. Cook according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
Chicken & Peppers
- While pasta cooks, grease a large pan with cooking spray or a drizzle of olive oil, and over medium heat, cook chicken and peppers together until chicken is cooked through and peppers are tender. If you prefer crunchier peppers, add them to your chicken after 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer chicken and veggies to a bowl and set aside.
Sauce
- In the same pan, melt butter over medium heat and add the half and half. Bring to a low simmer and allow to cook until it has reduced down and thickened just slightly, about 5 to 8 min. Remove from heat and add Parmesan, chives or green onions, oregano, basil, and salt.
Combine
- Add chicken back to the pan with the sauce, pour in the drained noodles, stir and serve. Top with more Parmesan if desired.
Notes
Recipe adapted from: AllRecipes
No-bake Oreo Cheesecake Bites are the perfect bite-sized treat. They’re cute, tasty, and almost too easy to make.
Love homemade cheesecake but don’t love actually turning on your oven and baking one? Friend, I have just the recipe for you.
These Oreo cheesecake bites have all the cream cheesy goodness of a baked cheesecake with about five percent of the effort so you can make them all the time.
These bites are SO GOOD.
On the bottom is a buttery Oreo crumb crust and then the cheesecake layer is a sweet and creamy combo of cream cheese, whipped cream, and vanilla with even more chopped Oreos throughout because obviously, our Oreo cheesecake must contain A LOT of Oreos. 😉
Ingredient Notes
- Oreos: Feel free to use any variety/flavor of Oreos here. These bites are really fun to make with the different seasonal Oreo varieties.
- Heavy cream: This recipe won’t use a full carton of heavy cream. For storage tips and recipes to use up the leftovers, check out my post What to do With Leftover Whipping Cream .
- Cream cheese: My favorite cream cheese brand for cheesecakes is Philadelphia cream cheese . Make sure to allow enough time for your cream cheese to soften at room temperature. Cream cheese that’s too cold can leave lumps in your cheesecake layer.
How to Make Oreo Cheesecake Bites
This is a quick overview of the recipe steps. For the full printable recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below.
- Make the Oreo crust by combining crushed Oreos and butter and pressing it into your baking dish.
- Whip heavy cream into stiff peaks. The whipped cream will help lighten up the texture of the cheesecake.
- Beat together softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla and then fold in the whipped cream and remaining Oreo pieces.
- Spread cheesecake layer over the Oreo crust and freeze until firm, about 3 hours.
- Slice into bites and enjoy!
Do I need to scrape out the centers of the Oreos before crushing them for the crust?
Nope. You can crush the whole Oreos, filling and all. However, including the filling does make the crumbs stickier, so sometimes you have to scrape some of them out of the bag with a knife. If you don’t want to mess with that (or just really want to eat a ton of Oreo filling), omit the creamy center.
I don’t have a 7×5-inch dish. What else can I use?
You can also make these bites in a cupcake or mini cupcake pan like my No-bake Cheesecake Bites With Graham Cracker Crust. Just be sure to use cupcake liners or you won’t be able to get them out of the pan.
How can I get clean cuts when cutting the cheesecake into bites?
- Make sure the bites are completely frozen solid before cutting.
- Use the parchment paper sling to lift the block out of the baking dish before cutting.
- Use a long chef’s knife to cut the bites and wipe the blade with a warm, damp cloth between every cut.
This should give you nice tidy cuts. If the bites are smooshing while you’re trying to cut them, they’re not firm enough yet to cut. Put them back in the freezer.
How should I store these cheesecake bites?
Once cut, store the bites in an airtight container. You can store them in the freezer or the refrigerator depending on what type of cheesecake you feel like eating. The texture of refrigerated Oreo cheesecake bites is like a slightly softer, creamier cheesecake. From the freezer, they taste like a cross between a cheesecake and ice cream.
Both are fabulous and I still haven’t decided which I like better, so you should probably just make the recipe and test both ways out for yourself. 😉
Can I double this recipe?
Yes. This recipe can be scaled up and made in an 8×8-inch dish with no preparation changes needed. To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
More Oreo Recipes
- Oreo Milkshake
- Small-batch Oreo Frosting
- Bailey’s Cookies and Cream Milkshake
- No-churn Peanut Butter Oreo Ice Cream
- Two-Ingredient Cookies and Cream Popsicles
More No-bake Favorites
- Small-batch Peanut Butter Bars
- The Best Vanilla Milkshake
- Homemade Pudding Pops
- Magic Chocolate Shell
- Small No-bake Marshmallow Pumpkin Cheesecake
Equipment
- Parchment paper
- Plastic zip top bag (for crushing Oreos)
- 7x5-inch baking dish
- Handheld electric mixer
Ingredients
- ▢ 14 Oreos divided
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 26g ) salted butter melted
- ▢ 1/4 cup heavy cream
- ▢ 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ▢ 3 heaping tablespoons ( 42g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ Whipped cream optional for topping*
Instructions
- Line your baking dish with parchment paper. Secure with binder clips or clothes pins and set aside.
- Finely chop 5 of the Oreos and set aside. Place the remaining 9 Oreos in a plastic bag and crush into a fine crumb with a rolling pin or the bottom of a glass. Pour crumbs into a medium bowl and stir in melted butter until well mixed. Pour crumbs into prepared baking dish and press out into an even layer.
- In a medium bowl, use a handheld electric mixer to beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form (when you lift the beaters straight up, the peaks should stand straight up without flopping over). Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until well mixed. Fold in whipped cream and Oreos, being careful not to deflate the whipped cream. Transfer mixture to your prepared dish and spread over crust. Cover and freeze until firm, about 3 hours.
- Use the parchment paper to remove cheesecake from the container and cut into 24 small squares. Add a dollop of whipped cream to each if desired, and enjoy!
Notes
All about how to freeze bananas along with tips and tricks for getting the best results possible.
Hey friend, you know I love using sad brown bananas in banana recipes, but today I thought we’d chat about what to do with those sad brown bananas when you don’t have the time (or inclination) to make something with them.
The answer? Freeze them!
Can you freeze bananas?
Absolutely yes! Bananas freeze extremely well both to be used in smoothies and milkshakes (some would argue that frozen bananas are even better for these than fresh) and for baking.
Why freeze bananas?
Typically you have a pretty short window of time to use overripe bananas before they’re past the point of no return, but freezing them allows you to store your bananas at their ripest (and most delicious) point until you’re ready to use them.
Instead of a couple of days, you now have a couple of months to decide what you want to make with your bananas.
How long can you freeze bananas?
Bananas can be frozen for up to 3 months. After that, according to the USDA they’re still okay to eat , the quality will just diminish. After 3 months, they’re more prone to drying out, freezer burn, turning brown, and picking up freezer smells (which no one likes).
What is the best way to freeze bananas? Should the banana be whole or sliced or mashed?
The best way to freeze bananas depends on how you’re going to use your frozen bananas.
- Whole bananas are best for: Baking recipes and smoothie recipes where you want to use exactly one banana
- Sliced bananas are best for: Smoothies or milkshakes, especially with underpowered blenders where you need smaller chunks to make it easier to blend.
- Mashed bananas are best for: Saving storage space or if you have extra mashed bananas that you’re not ready to use. Freezing mashed bananas isn’t my favorite because it’s extra work and you can’t separate out the mash once it’s frozen. But if freezer space is tight, sometimes it’s easier to find space for a bag of mashed bananas than whole.
How to Freeze Whole Bananas
- Place bananas (peeled or unpeeled—we’ll talk more about that in a second) in an airtight container or freezer bag. If using a freezer bag, remove as much air as possible from the bag to help prevent freezer burn.*
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Peeled vs unpeeled bananas for freezing: It’s best to peel bananas before freezing them because the peel becomes soft and slightly annoying to remove after freezing.
BUT if it’s a choice between freezing your bananas with the peel on and letting them sit on the counter until they turn to mush (I’ve been there), toss those bananas, peel and all, in a bag in your freezer. The peel will turn dark in the freezer, and they’ll take an extra minute to peel when you go to use them, but they’ll be fine.
*A note on freezing a lot of peeled bananas: If you’re freezing a large number of whole bananas together, so many that they don’t fit in a single layer in your freezer bag or container, it’s best to flash freeze them first so they don’t stick together.
To flash freeze your bananas, place them on a parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet or plate and freeze until frozen solid, 2 to 3 hours, before transferring to your container.
How to Freeze Banana Slices/Chunks
- Line a baking sheet (that will fit in your freezer) or large plate with parchment or wax paper.
- Slice bananas into chunks or slices and arrange them in a single layer on your prepared surface. Freeze until frozen solid, 1 to 2 hours, (pieces that are flash frozen like this are less likely to stick together in the freezer) and then transfer to an airtight container or plastic freezer bag. If using a freezer bag, remove as much air as possible from the bag to help prevent freezer burn.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
A note on slice size: It’s up to you how large to make your slices. If you have a powerful blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec you can cut big chunks of bananas. If your blender is less powerful and sometimes struggles with frozen fruit, slice smaller slices.
Smaller slices can also be better if you need to measure the banana slices for nutritional information. It’s easier to measure 1 cup of small slices than 1 cup of big chunks that are almost the same size as your measuring cup.
How to Freeze Mashed Bananas
- Mash bananas and transfer the mash to a plastic freezer bag. Very clearly label the number of bananas you used on the outside of the bag and remove as much air as possible before closing to help prevent freezer burn.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
A note on freezing mashed bananas: Since you won’t be able to divide frozen mashed bananas, be sure you know exactly how many mashed bananas are in each bag and freeze them in quantities that make sense for the recipes you make (don’t freeze 7 mashed bananas together if you don’t have a 7-banana banana bread recipe!).
Defrosting Frozen Bananas
To defrost frozen bananas, remove them from the freezer and place them in a bowl. Bananas will release liquid as they defrost, so even unpeeled bananas should be placed in a container of some sort so it doesn’t leak all over.
Cover and defrost, preferably overnight in the fridge. Your bananas may turn slightly brown as they defrost, but don’t worry, that’s not going to hurt anything.
Bonus defrosting tip: If you’re in a hurry, smashing partially defrosted bananas will speed up the process since you’re increasing the surface area and making them less dense.
Baking With Frozen Bananas
Frozen bananas are fantastic to bake with BUT, you MUST completely defrost them and bring them up to mostly room temperature. Adding ice-cold banana mash to your recipe can cause batter to curdle or not bake evenly in the oven.
So defrost your bananas overnight and then mash and let them sit on the counter for half an hour or more to warm up.
Baking with frozen bananas tip: Frozen bananas will release quite a bit of liquid as they defrost. Do not drain this off! Simply mash the bananas in the bowl with the liquid and add everything to your batter.
Do I need to defrost frozen bananas before using?
It depends. For smoothies and milkshakes, frozen bananas work great, they’ll give you a much thicker/frostier drink.
If you own a blender that struggles with frozen fruits, you can let them defrost halfway before blending.
For baking recipes, you absolutely must defrost your bananas.
How do you freeze bananas without turning brown?
Bananas turn brown when exposed to air, so the best way to prevent them from turning brown is to freeze them in a plastic bag and remove as much air as possible. You can do this using the old bowl-full-of-water trick AKA water displacement method or use a straw and suck out all the air before closing the bag.
The peel of unpeeled bananas will also turn dark in the freezer, but this won’t affect the fruit underneath so you don’t have to worry about trying to prevent this.
How to freeze bananas without plastic?
If you’re trying to cut down on your plastic usage (awesome!), you can freeze bananas in airtight glass containers.
Bananas in larger containers are more prone to freezer burn and turning brown since there will still be air in the container, so try to use the bananas within a month or so.
What to Do with Frozen Bananas?
Once you’re ready to make something with your frozen bananas, here are a few of my favorite banana recipes.
- Small-batch Banana Muffins
- Small-batch Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Small Banana Cake
- The Best Banana Milkshake
- Banana Pancakes for Two
- My Favorite Banana Bread Recipe
- One Banana Banana Bread
This post is a part of my Waste Not series , a series of posts dedicated to reducing food waste in the kitchen. You might also enjoy:
- What to Do With Leftover Whipping Cream
- What to Do With Leftover Pumpkin Puree
- What to Do With Leftover Egg Whites
- What to Do With Leftover Egg Yolks
- What to Do With Leftover Half and Half
Ingredients
- ▢ Very ripe bananas peeled or unpeeled, whole, sliced, or mashed
Instructions
Freezing Whole Bananas
- Place whole bananas (peeled or unpeeled*) in an airtight container or freezer bag. If using a plastic bag, remove as much air as possible before sealing. Freeze and store for up to 3 months.
Freezing Banana Chunks or Slices
- Line a baking sheet (that will fit in your freezer) or large plate with parchment or wax paper. Place banana pieces on prepared surface in a single layer and freeze until frozen solid, 1 to 2 hours.
- Scoop frozen bananas into an airtight container or freezer bag. If using a plastic bag, remove as much air as possible before sealing. Freeze and store for up to 3 months.
Freezing Mashed Bananas
- Mash bananas and transfer the mash to a plastic freezer bag. Very clearly label the number of bananas you used on the outside of the bag and remove as much air as possible before closing to help prevent freezer burn. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Defrosting Bananas
- If using bananas in baking, defrost completely either overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter. Bananas will release liquid as they thaw. Keep this liquid when you mash the bananas and do not drain.
Notes
Easy Creamy Chicken Pasta With Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 12 ounces rotini pasta
- 1 pound (about 2 small) boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 small green bell pepper diced small
- 1 small red bell pepper diced small
- 2 cups half and half*
- 1/2 cup ( 4 oz) butter
- 3/4 cup ( 3oz ) shredded Parmesan cheese plus more for topping
- 1 teaspoon chives or green onions minced, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Pasta
- In a large pot, boil water for pasta. Salt lightly and add rotini. Cook according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
Chicken & Peppers
- While pasta cooks, grease a large pan with cooking spray or a drizzle of olive oil, and over medium heat, cook chicken and peppers together until chicken is cooked through and peppers are tender. If you prefer crunchier peppers, add them to your chicken after 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer chicken and veggies to a bowl and set aside.
Sauce
- In the same pan, melt butter over medium heat and add the half and half. Bring to a low simmer and allow to cook until it has reduced down and thickened just slightly, about 5 to 8 min. Remove from heat and add Parmesan, chives or green onions, oregano, basil, and salt.
Combine
- Add chicken back to the pan with the sauce, pour in the drained noodles, stir and serve. Top with more Parmesan if desired.
