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Gluten Free Dairy Free Creamy Rosé Pasta

Huge Disclaimer on this post:  The only thing that makes it gluten free is that I made it with Barilla Gluten Free pasta.  It's the dairy free trick that's being showcased here.  Seriously, this is one AMAZING pasta sauce!  

 

Back in the day, when I'd go out to eat, my preference was for Italian food.  And my prefered Italian food is anything in a rosé sauce.  I'm a sucker for tortellini too, but until I start stuffing my own, that will always be a cheese filled delicacy I must avoid.  It's been a long time since I've had a good cream sauce, or rosé sauce, because my go to cream is coconut milk and everything tastes like coconut.  While that might work for desserts, it really isn't terribly appetizing in Italian food.  But then, I found a magical ingredient.  

 

My friends were posting these amazing videos of easy pasta dishes on their facebook pages. I'm sure you know the ones I'm talking about.  Chicken, spinach, tomatoes, pasta, cream, cheese, garlic...  it all looks so yummy, but when you can't have dairy, you just keep scrolling....  Well, one day, I didn't.  I kept watching and I went to the kitchen and started cooking.  There's a magical ingredient in the mix that totally takes away the coconutty flavour!  It's BACON!  I swear, of all the things I can eat, I think I'm most grateful for bacon.  Maybe avocado is a close second, but bacon is definitely up there on the list of foods I'm most thankful for.  So when you make this recipe, whatever you do, don't skip the bacon.  It is crucial.  

 

For any blog readers who may be vegan, I sincerely apologize.  You may skip the bacon.  I don't know what your pasta will taste like.  You can try adding garlic, or more salt or pepper...  but it just might taste like coconut.  

 

The ingredient list and recipe will follow, but I took lots of pictures to show how I made this.  And I want you to see them.  They make me hungry for more.  Be warned!

 

 

 

Start by cooking your chicken.  You can do this in one of two ways:  You can dice it and sauté in a pan like I did here, or you can simply brown the breasts and finish them off in a 375F oven for about 30 minutes until no longer pink inside.  Slice them up once they are cooked.  Either way, once the chicken is cooked, set it aside to add to the sauce later.  

 

The sauté pan works well when you have something else baking in your oven.  Like a nice loaf of bread.

Dice and cook your bacon until it starts to get crispy.  Note the lovely brown bits in the bottom of the pan.  Those are known in my world as "flavour crystals".  They will be lifted up into the sauce and will add a magical taste that completely masks the coconut flavour.  There's magic in this pan!

Then add spinach.  This cooked down to almost no spinach at all.  It could have been more spinachy in the end.  You could add mushrooms or cherry tomatoes too, or instead.  I would sauté those mushrooms in quarters before adding.  That would be yummy...  I might make that next time.

Not all coconut milks are made the same.  This one has only two ingredients:  Coconut and water.  It doesn't separate like other coconut milks do, even though it has a high fat content.  Whatever it's secret is, it works beautifully in this sauce because it thickens and bubbles and coats the back of a spoon.  If you are using another kind, you might have to thicken your sauce in the end with some cornstarch.  And bonus- this is the cheapest one at SuperStore!  Any marinara sauce that's gluten free will do. Add the coconut milk, then half the marinara and voila!  Rosé sauce.  With BACON!

Here is my sauce, with the wilted spinach and the chicken added.  Now I'm just waiting for the pasta to cook!  Dinner is going to be DELICIOUS!  

 

Once the pasta is done, pour the sauce over top and toss with the noodles.  Remember to let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, while tossing it every now and then.  This will allow the pasta to soak in that sauce, and for the sauce to thicken up a bit.  

 

Save your leftovers, this is delicious heated up for lunch the next day.  I can't wait until lunch now!  Yummy!

 

Gluten Free Dairy Free Creamy Rosé Pasta with Chicken and Spinach

 

2 chicken breasts

3 slices of bacon, diced

1 can Aroy-D coconut milk

1/2 jar marinara sauce

1 bag of baby spinach, or half a container

salt and pepper to taste.  

 

See pictures above, for easy to follow instructions.  

Enjoy!

 

Therese K.

 

 

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