I made The Pioneer Woman's chicken mozzarella pasta. I see why she calls it one of the 'easiest pastas on the planet.'

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I made The Pioneer Woman's recipe for chicken and mozzarella pasta.
The simple weeknight pasta required only a few basic ingredients and 16 minutes of cooking time.
The recipe was a quick, crowd-pleasing dinner.

When I spotted The Pioneer Woman's so-called 16-minute pasta recipe online, I had to find out for myself if it really was that fast to make — or if it was too good to be true.

Ree Drummond's recipe, which she calls one of the "easiest pastas on the planet," uses simple ingredients: pasta, chicken breasts, store-bought marinara sauce, onion, mozzarella, and a few herbs and spices that you likely already have on hand.

While it took longer than the 16 minutes advertised in the recipe, it was still a quick, crowd-pleasing dinner.

The simple weeknight pasta recipe came together in around 30 minutes, including cooking and prep time, and the smell alone made my kitchen feel like a cozy Italian restaurant.

Here's how to make The Pioneer Woman's no-fuss chicken mozzarella pasta.

Ree Drummond called this quick recipe one of her easiest and favorite pasta dishes.

Drummond is well-known for her quick and easy recipes, many of which can be prepared in under 30 minutes.

Her recipe for chicken and mozzarella pasta requires only 16 minutes of active cooking time, plus about 10 minutes for prep.

To make six servings of Drummond's easy chicken and mozzarella pasta, you'll need:

1 pound penne or rigatoni pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus some for drizzling

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, finely diced
One 25-ounce jar "good-quality marinara sauce" (I used Rao's)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
1/4 cup Parmesan shavings
Grated Parmesan, for serving
12 basil leaves, cut into chiffonade

I started by cutting the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and adding them to a nonstick skillet with olive oil.

Drummond recommends using boneless, skinless chicken breasts in this recipe. Once I patted them dry and added the pieces to a hot nonstick skillet with a little olive oil, I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper, as instructed.

I then let the chicken sit in the pan without stirring for a few minutes, until the bottom sides had browned.

It took a few more minutes for the chicken to fully cook.

Even after years of cooking, I still get a little anxious about undercooking chicken. In total, I probably cooked the chicken for about seven or eight minutes over medium-high heat, until all the pieces were golden brown and cooked through.

I removed the chicken to a plate and added the diced onions and garlic to the same pan.

I stirred the onions around to soak up some of the chicken bits that had collected at the bottom of the pan. After two to three minutes, the onions were soft and a rich golden color.

I then added the jarred marinara sauce, red pepper flakes, and half a cup of water.

I used Rao's sensitive marinara sauce, which is made without onions and garlic. Since I knew the recipe called for both of those things, I thought that was a good choice.

While the sauce was cooking, I started boiling the water for the pasta.

I stirred the ingredients together over low to medium heat and then added the chicken.

I chopped up the parsley until it was finely minced and added it to the sauce, allowing it to simmer and thicken for about eight minutes.

I then cut the ball of mozzarella into pieces.

Drummond said to cut the mozzarella into medium-sized cubes. Mine were probably a bit on the smaller side, but that allowed them to evenly disperse throughout the sauce.

Once the sauce had thickened, I added the mozzarella.

Before adding the cheese, I ensured the sauce was bubbling a little. I then stirred in the mozzarella and let it sit completely undisturbed for a few minutes until it had softened in the pan.

I also added my rigatoni pasta to the pot of boiling water on another burner.

Once the pasta was done, I added it to a large baking dish and sprinkled shaved Parmesan over the top.

Drummond recommended using a large platter, but I used a baking dish that comes with a lid to make it easy to store leftovers.

I poured the sauce over the pasta and topped it with grated Parmesan cheese and the chiffonade of basil leaves.

You'll want to ensure your pasta noodles are freshly cooked when you add them to the pan, so that everything is at the right temperature for serving.

I was shocked by how easy this pasta was to make.

It's one of those recipes that, after you've made it once, you could probably make it again completely from memory.

While this pasta isn't over-the-top in terms of flavor, I was impressed by how creamy and delicious the sauce was, thanks to the addition of mozzarella, and I'm always happy to incorporate some healthy protein, which I got in this dish from the simple grilled chicken.

I would definitely make this quick and easy pasta again.

In all, this pasta recipe came together in about 30 minutes — a bit longer than advertised, but still a realistic and manageable timeframe for a weeknight meal.

With a few simple ingredients and a jar of marinara sauce, you could easily whip up this pasta with little to no thought.

It was the kind of dinner that tasted completely homemade, without requiring an entire evening in the kitchen.