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Home » Ingredient » Chicken

Chicken

Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake

Published: January 8, 2016   |   Updated: June 30, 2022   |   19 Comments

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Turn store-bought ingredients into a hearty, comforting pesto chicken pasta bake. Super easy to put together for a delicious, big portioned family meal!

Turn store-bought ingredients into a hearty, comforting pesto chicken pasta bake. Super easy to put together for a delicious, big portioned family meal!

It’s been a while since we’ve done a pasta bake, not since the cheesy hot Italian sausage bake we did a while back. So today we’ll be doing a pesto chicken pasta bake! This one is slightly Alfredo-y, like my chicken Alfredo pasta bake but also has a taste of pesto and with less of a cheesy top. Instead, we have cheese in the pasta itself, a six-cheese Italian blend all mixed up with the Alfredo sauce. There’s also tomatoes, spinach and chicken to go with it and a generous layer of Italian bread crumbs and Parmesan.

All of the ingredients are store-bought items which make this super easy to put together. I even used rotisserie chicken here so we didn’t have to pre-cook the chicken. Of course, you can make your own Alfredo sauce and cook your own chicken; grilled, pan-fried, whatever way you want. But the emphasis of the recipe is to get a full family-portioned meal with as little hassle as possible. So let’s begin.

Turn store-bought ingredients into a hearty, comforting pesto chicken pasta bake. Super easy to put together for a delicious, big portioned family meal!

PESTO CHICKEN PASTA BAKE RECIPE TIPS

Start by cooking your pasta. You’ll want to cook it till it’s just before al dente since it will cook longer in the oven and you don’t want soggy pasta. So take it off the stove once the pasta has expanded in size but is still a little chewy. After that, drain the pasta and rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking process.

While you’re cooking the pasta, start cooking or pulling apart the rotisserie chicken. You should get about 3 cups worth of chicken when all is said and done. Mix up the chicken with the cheese blend, spinach, tomatoes, Alfredo sauce, milk and pesto. You’ll need a huge prep bowl for this because the fresh spinach tends to be bulky, or you can do it in the casserole dish itself.

Once the pasta is cooked, drained and rinsed, add to the chicken mix. Mix, mix mix! I found I spent more time carefully mixing it than I did any of the other prep work. Once that’s done, transfer it to a casserole dish and top with the Parmesan, Italian bread crumb and olive oil mix. Then we bake!

Turn store-bought ingredients into a hearty, comforting pesto chicken pasta bake. Super easy to put together for a delicious, big portioned family meal!

It should take about 30 minutes or so since all the ingredients are already cooked. The baking part is just to marry the flavors together and melt the cheese topping. At this point, you can take the 30 minutes to start a side dish, or finish washing up, or write up this post like me.

And that’s it! Happy eating 🙂

MORE CREAMY PASTA RECIPES TO TRY

  • Meatball Pasta Bake
  • Spinach and Artichoke Ravioli Bake
  • Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
  • Chicken, Spinach and Mushroom Pasta Bake
  • Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake
  • Lemon Pepper Chicken Alfredo

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Turn store-bought ingredients into a hearty, comforting pesto chicken pasta bake. Super easy to put together for a delicious, big portioned family meal!

Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake


★★★★★

5 from 6 reviews

  • Author: The Cooking Jar
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: 8–10 1x
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Description

Turn store-bought ingredients into a hearty, comforting pesto chicken pasta bake. Super easy to put together for a delicious, big portioned family meal!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 16 oz. penne/ziti/rigatoni pasta
  • 3 cups cooked/rotisserie chicken, cubed
  • 2 cups Italian cheese blend, shredded
  • 5 oz. fresh/frozen baby spinach
  • 1 can (15 oz.) petite diced tomatoes, drained
  • 2 cups Alfredo sauce
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 jar (7 oz.) pesto
  • 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta until just before al dente.
  2. Drain and rinse pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process.
  3. Combine chicken, cheese blend, spinach, tomatoes, Alfredo sauce, milk and pesto.
  4. Add cooked pasta to the chicken mix and stir to combine.
  5. Transfer pasta mixture to a 9×13 casserole dish.
  6. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and oil and sprinkle over casserole.
  7. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
  8. Enjoy!

Notes

Alfredo Sauce (makes about 2 cups):
INGREDIENTS
8 tablespoons butter
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
INSTRUCTIONS
Over medium-low heat, melt the butter and pour in the heavy cream. Stir to combine
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Add the Parmesan cheese in portions and stir to mix

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below or share a photo of the recipe on Instagram by tagging @cookingjar

posted in: Casseroles, Chicken, Oven, Pasta

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Adrienne says

    September 24, 2020

    This was great! I had leftover baked chicken and cooked pasta that I wanted to do something with and came across this recipe. I had everything needed on hand, besides tomatoes, so I left them out. It was so much better than I was expecting (I rarely do anything with leftovers, so I wasn’t sure how it would turn out). I didn’t really measure, but probably halved the recipe to match what I had. Every bite was eaten, which was also unexpected since my hubby and sons don’t usually like spinach. I will definitely make this again! Thanks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      November 8, 2020

      Thanks for trying it out! You know, the best food comes out of salvaging all the leftovers in the fridge. It’s just so satisfying making something good out of a mash of random ingredients you need to get rid of. I’m happy to have helped you and your leftovers!

      Reply
  2. Sara says

    August 20, 2018

    This is a great easy recipe that’s delicious. I added frozen peas and broccoli (which I lightly steamed) to add more greens. My flatmates loved it.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      September 27, 2018

      Thanks for trying it out and sharing it, Sara!

      Reply
    • Lee Anne says

      December 14, 2021

      This is delicious! I’ve made 2x and all of us loved it! Curious if anyone has tried freezing? I’d like to make a few meals for my father in law who is elderly. Thanks!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Tammie says

        December 4, 2022

        Ok, so I’m probably way too late. I am just now printing this to make. However, I have frozen Chicken Alfredo with peas from Carrabba’s. Actually, a bunch. I always order too much for parties 🙄🤦‍♀️🤣. I just added a little milk or half & half & microwaved a serving or two at a time.

        Reply
        • Tammie says

          December 4, 2022

          When I thawed it, I mean. I just froze it in Ziplock freezer baggies.

  3. Rosemarie Malin says

    July 28, 2017

    I’m also a food blogger – a little fish in a big sea. Love your every day approach, especially now – we are in the process of moving, so my kitchen in half-packed – making preparing delicious meals for my guys a bit of a challenge. This was perfect after a day of house hunting in another city. Thank you.

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      August 2, 2017

      Oh it’s a very big sea indeed! So many of us out there 🙂 I do like to offer alternatives to busy cooks that want something more than takeout or frozen stuff but still need short cuts. There’s a little something of everything here for everyone, I’d like to think!

      Reply
  4. Rob says

    December 31, 2016

    This was amazing! Such a good recipe. I added some fresh chopped garlic to it. Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      February 20, 2017

      Yum, garlic! Great addition. Happy you liked it, Rob.

      Reply
  5. Cierra says

    June 20, 2016

    I made Chicken Pesto Bake and it was delicious. I just didn’t add the spinach. Everyone loved it who tried it. ??????

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      June 23, 2016

      Thanks for letting me know, Cierra! Always a good day to hear someone had something yummy 🙂

      Reply
  6. Erika says

    February 10, 2016

    Tried this out today and I loved it!!! I just added some left over broccoli and it was delish! Thank you:)

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      February 16, 2016

      Great to hear! Thanks so much for trying out this new recipe, Erika.

      Reply
  7. Muna Kenny says

    January 16, 2016

    It’s been long time since I visited your blog. I missed your beautiful clicks 🙂
    Your Pesto Chicken Pasta looks delicious,

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      January 16, 2016

      Thanks for stopping by, Muna! Just peeked in your blog and wow that lamb in spicy gravy has my name all over it. YUM! I want 😉

      Reply
  8. dixya | food, pleasure, and health says

    January 8, 2016

    i havent made pasta in a long time..thank you for sharing this easy recipe esp for weeknights 🙂

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      January 11, 2016

      Very welcome! Do let me know how you liked it, if you ever try it out 🙂

      Reply

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