Slow Cooker Chicken Pasta Rosa
No CommentsJun 12, 2026
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Love Alfredo and marinara sauce together? Try this amazing Chicken Pasta Rosa. The slow cooker cooks the chicken until tender in a blend of marinara and Alfredo sauce for an Italian restaurant-style dinner with very little effort.
Don’t forget about using your slow cooker for pasta night! You can make Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo or even a Slow Cooker Bolgenese Sauce, all turn out wonderfully.
Table of Contents
- Why You Will Want to Make This
- Key Ingredients for Chicken Pasta Rosa
- How to Make Chicken Pasta Rosa
- Tips and Variations
- What to Serve with Chicken Pasta Rosa
- Can I Cook Pasta in the Slow Cooker?
- How to Store and Reheat
- What other Pasta Dishes can be made in the Slow Cooker?
- Slow Cooker Chicken Pasta Rosa Recipe
Why You Will Want to Make This
This Chicken Pasta Rosa is a new obsession of mine. I often order Alfredo and marinara at Olive Garden, so I had to try making a pasta dish at home using both sauces. Don’t like Alfredo? Try my Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Pasta, it’s got all these same ideas.
- Alfredo and Marinara taste great together – you get the acidic tomato flavor, then the creamy alfredo mellows it all out, and it creates a new flavor of sauce that can’t be beat.
- This dish is often called “Pink Sauce” for the color the sauce turns when these sauces are mixed together.
- The slow cooker makes this an easy meal to leave while you’re away, so you come home to a perfect Italian-style dinner with little fuss.
- Makes enough to feed a large family (or to have leftovers for lunches).
- Great for family dinner but also fancy enough to serve for a dinner party.
Key Ingredients for Chicken Pasta Rosa
Marinara Sauce: This is a basic tomato sauce, but if made well, it can have great flavor. We love Rao’s brand, Newman’s Own, or Carbone. This will be labeled “marinara,” and not the regular pasta sauce, such as Ragu. You can even make your own marinara, try my slow cooker marinara sauce!
Alfredo Sauce: I’ve tried many brands of alfredo over the years; use your favorite. If you don’t have a favorite brand yet, try Rao’s. It tastes as close to homemade as possible and doesn’t have the weird aftertaste of other brands.
Seasonings: I created a great Italian flavor base with my seasonings: onion powder, garlic powder, Italian Seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Parmesan: This ties everything together and makes the sauce even more creamy.
How to Make Chicken Pasta Rosa
This is so easy to throw in the crockpot and go on with your day!
- Chicken and seasonings go into the slow cooker first.
- Add the two magic sauces, and cook until the chicken is fork-tender.
- Shred up the chicken and cook up the pasta on the stove top.
- Add the pasta and parm, stir and serve!
Tips and Variations
Sauce Change: You can use a flavored marinara, such as vodka sauce or roasted garlic – all will taste just fine in this.
Add Wine: If you choose to add red wine (which tastes great with red pasta sauce, by the way), use half a cup.
Vegetables: Mushrooms or onions can be added at the beginning of the cooking time. For chopped fresh spinach, stir it in right before serving.
What to Serve with Chicken Pasta Rosa
Top of Pasta Night and make it a complete meal with one of these ideas:
Green Side: We love this pink sauce pasta with a Caesar Salad or steamed broccoli – choose something your family loves!
Bread: Want to make it easy? Just grab a soft French loaf from the store and lather the slices with butter. Or make an easy garlic bread or breadstick recipe.
Can I Cook Pasta in the Slow Cooker?
Most often, cooking raw pasta in the slow cooker will not work in recipes. The slow cooker doesn’t get hot enough, fast enough to cook pasta properly. It’s best to cook your pasta separately on the stovetop.
How to Store and Reheat
This pasta dish freezes well! Freeze for up to three months or eat from the fridge within 3 days. Don’t overheat if cooking in the microwave, so the sauce won’t separate.
What other Pasta Dishes can be made in the Slow Cooker?
If you loved the creamy tomato sauce in this Chicken Rosa Pasta, there are plenty of other slow cooker pasta recipes to add to your dinner rotation.
Try Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Alfredo for a little heat, Olive Garden Chicken Pasta for a restaurant favorite at home, or Slow Cooker Chicken Bacon Pasta for an extra hearty meal.
For classic Italian comfort food, you can’t go wrong with Slow Cooker Lasagna, Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce, Crockpot Puttanesca Sauce, or my rich and creamy Boursin Cheese Chicken Pasta.
If you tried this Chicken Pasta Rosa recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Happy Slow Cooking!
Slow Cooker Chicken Pasta Rosa
How to Video
Ingredients
- 1.5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. Italian seasoning mix
- 24 oz. Rao's Marinara
- 15 oz. Rao's Roasted Garlic Alfredo, (or regular is fine too)
Wait To Add
- 16 oz. box penne pasta, (cooked according to package directions)
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker, and sprinkle over the seasonings.
- Add the marinara sauce and alfredo sauce.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours
- When the cooking time is up, start cooking your pasta on the stove-top according to package directions. You can cook it to your liking – I usually do a little longer than al dente.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce along with the parmesan cheese.
- Stir and serve!
Sarah’s Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
