Easy Quick Meal with Chicken and Pasta: Garlic Butter
Weeknight chicken and pasta with a short ingredient list. It's built for a 30-minute dinner when you have little time to plan ahead.
30 min weeknight meal
9 Pasta Dinner Recipes with Chicken, Beef and Tomato
Curated by Emily CarterUpdated November 4, 2026
☰ Contents
Pasta shows up on weeknight tables more than almost any other dinner, and it's easy to see why. It cooks while you prep the rest of the meal. Simple enough for a Tuesday, but filling enough to feel like a real dinner.
This collection includes chicken and pasta meals, a garlic Parmesan beef bowtie, two tomato sauces, a cold deviled egg pasta salad, and homemade egg noodles. Times run from 15 minutes to just over an hour, so you can match the recipe to how much time you have tonight.
This page doesn't cover one-pot pasta or holiday-style pasta dishes. Use the sections below to find the dinner that fits your evening.
What Makes a Good Pasta Dinner?
Most pasta dinners succeed or fail on the sauce. Starch from the cooking water helps a sauce cling to the noodles, so the finished dish looks glossy instead of pooled at the bottom of the bowl.
The recipes here cover creamy chicken dishes, a garlic Parmesan beef bowtie, two tomato sauces, a cold deviled egg pasta salad, and homemade egg noodles. Each one builds on pantry staples like garlic, Parmesan, cream, and tomatoes.
How to Choose the Best Pasta Recipe for Dinner
For a weeknight with limited time, start with the 30-minute chicken options. The creamy chicken dish and the beef bowtie both finish in about half an hour, and the cream cheese tomato sauce takes 15 minutes total.
Want something filling for a crowd? The beef bowtie holds up well as a main, while the pasta salad suits picnics and lunches. Keep that salad cold, since the mayo and eggs need it.
Looking for something lighter? The sun-dried tomato version swaps Greek yogurt for heavy cream.
Chicken and Pasta Meals for Weeknights
All three put chicken in a creamy sauce over pasta, so they suit the same kind of busy night. The 30-minute chicken meal is the simplest starting point, while the spicy Cajun-style version adds heat for anyone who likes a kick.
-
-
Creamy Chicken Pasta Dish with Garlic
Starchy pasta water does the thickening here, so the sauce clings without flour. Choose this for a classic family dinner, where the sauce is the star.
pasta water thickens sauce -
Creamy Spicy Chicken Pasta Dish
Cajun-style seasoning brings heat to a creamy chicken base. Pick this one when the table wants a kick, and plan for a 35-minute cook.
spicy Cajun-style heat
Garlic Parmesan Pasta Dinners
Garlic and Parmesan carry both of these, one with chicken and one with beef. Both use a cream-based sauce, so the noodles stay coated instead of drying out once they leave the pot.
-
Parmesan Garlic Chicken Pasta
Garlic and Parmesan go into the cream sauce early, so the flavor sinks in. The sauce stays smooth rather than separating into a watery layer on the plate.
garlic Parmesan cream sauce -
Creamy Parmesan Garlic Beef Bowtie Pasta: Velvety Steak
Beef makes this the most substantial dish on the list. Parmesan and garlic coat bowtie noodles in a creamy sauce, and the recipe serves four.
beef bowtie for four
Tomato Pasta Sauces with Cream Cheese
Cream cheese does the thickening in the first recipe, which makes it the quickest sauce on this page. The second gets its depth from sun-dried tomatoes and a Greek yogurt swap. Stir the cream cheese in over low heat, or it can clump.
-
Tomato Pasta Sauce with Cream Cheese and Garlic
Cream cheese and garlic turn a basic tomato sauce into something thick and cheesy. Ready in about fifteen minutes, it's the quickest sauce in this collection.
15 min cream cheese sauce -
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken
Greek yogurt replaces heavy cream here, which keeps the sun-dried tomato sauce lighter. Use it when you want a savory weeknight dinner with less richness.
Greek yogurt lighter sauce
Pasta Salad Ideas and Homemade Egg Noodles
These two sit at opposite ends of the effort scale. The deviled egg pasta salad is a cold, mayo and yogurt dish made in about half an hour, while the homemade noodles take roughly an hour from start to finish.
-
Creamy Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
Mayo and Greek yogurt form the dressing for this deviled egg pasta salad. Serve it cold at picnics or potlucks, and keep it chilled until then.
cold deviled egg salad -
Homemade Egg Noodle Pasta with Fresh Dough
Fresh dough is rolled and cut by hand, then cooks in about five minutes. Plan for roughly an hour from start to finish, which makes these a slower project.
homemade egg noodles
Storage and Food Safety Tips for Pasta Dinners
Poultry needs the most care here. USDA guidance puts the safe internal temperature for chicken at 165°F (74°C). Beef is different: steaks and roasts reach 145°F (63°C) with a three-minute rest, while ground beef needs 160°F (71°C).
The deviled egg pasta salad needs the fridge. FDA storage guidance suggests two hours as the limit at room temperature, so shorten that window outdoors.
Leftover cream sauce pasta generally keeps three to four days refrigerated. Reheat it until steaming hot throughout.
Quick Comparison
| # | Recipes | Best For | Time | Occasion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Easy Quick Meal with Chicken and Pasta: Garlic Butter | busy weeknight dinners | 30 min | weeknight |
| 2 | Creamy Chicken Pasta Dish with Garlic | family dinner with a classic sauce | 30 min | family dinner |
| 3 | Creamy Spicy Chicken Pasta Dish | anyone who wants spicy heat | 35 min | weeknight |
| 4 | Parmesan Garlic Chicken Pasta | garlic and Parmesan fans | 30 min | weeknight |
| 5 | Creamy Parmesan Garlic Beef Bowtie Pasta: Velvety Steak | dinner for four with beef | 30 min | dinner for four |
| 6 | Tomato Pasta Sauce with Cream Cheese and Garlic | fast tomato sauce night | 15 min | weeknight |
| 7 | Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken | lighter sun-dried tomato sauce | 20 min | weeknight |
| 8 | Creamy Deviled Egg Pasta Salad | picnics and potluck salads | 30 min | picnic or potluck |
| 9 | Homemade Egg Noodle Pasta with Fresh Dough | homemade noodles from scratch | 1 hr 5 min | weekend cooking |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between chicken pasta and beef bowtie pasta?
The chicken dishes are the usual weeknight pick, while the beef bowtie feels more substantial for a hungry table. Both take about 30 minutes, so the choice often comes down to what you already have on hand.
Can I make these creamy pasta dishes ahead of time?
Cream sauces thicken as they cool, so they're easiest to make the same day. Reheat leftovers gently with a splash of water or milk to bring the sauce back together.
How do I keep a creamy pasta sauce from turning watery?
Reserve some starchy pasta water and add it to the sauce a little at a time. The starch helps bind the sauce, and a gentle simmer keeps it from separating.
What is a good side dish for pasta?
A simple green salad, roasted vegetables, or crusty bread work well alongside most of these dinners. Keep the side light when the pasta is already rich.
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream in pasta?
Yes, the sun-dried tomato recipe on this page does exactly that to keep the sauce lighter. Stir the yogurt in off the heat, since high heat can cause it to split.
Browse by Category
Related Recipe Collections
Discover more curated recipe collections
Explore more recipe collections →