Pesto Chicken Pasta Casserole Recipe

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4.84 from 6 votes
Published: November 1, 2021Updated: January 14, 2022Author: Elyse Ellis
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Our Pesto Chicken Pasta Casserole is made with chicken, tomatoes, spinach, basil, pesto, and cheese. It comes together in just a few minutes and is the perfect weeknight family dinner.
Pesto Chicken Pasta Casserole Recipe

When it comes to easy family dinners, this Pesto Chicken Pasta Casserole is one of our favorites!

We love pasta recipes! 

My family would eat spaghetti once a week if I let them, so I thought I would switch up our regular pasta-night dish with a simple pasta casserole.

pesto chicken casserole ingredients in glass bowl

How to Make Pesto Chicken Pasta Casserole:

First, you’ll need to cook your noodles. We use penne pasta in this pasta bake, but any kind would work.

We’ve tried it with bowtie and our kids loved that too!

  • In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients listed to assemble the casserole.
  • After you have mixed together the ingredients for the casserole, you spread them in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
  • Next, you sprinkle a delicious, cheesy crumb mixture on top and put it in the oven!

This chicken casserole with pasta recipe is extremely simple and takes no time at all to assemble!

chicken casserole with pasta and pesto in glass baking dish

Pro tips on making a Chicken Casserole with Pasta:

Used canned goods: This recipe can be simple if you choose to use canned tomatoes, Alfredo, and pesto sauce. It’s almost a dump and go recipe that tastes amazing!

However, you can definitely use homemade or your favorite version of any of those mentioned above if you like to use fresher ingredients.

Try our Homemade Alfredo Sauce from this recipe!

Cool Off Your Pasta: Make sure to rinse your pasta off in cold water after you boil it.

This will keep it from sticking together when you’re trying to mix it with your other casserole ingredients.

Our best advice is to dump your pasta into a straining bowl like this one. Then run cold water over your pasta for 2 minutes.

If you love this casserole you definitely need to try our Million Dollar Casserole Recipe and our Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Casserole!

close up view of uncooked pasta chicken casserole
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Homemade Pesto Sauce for this Pesto Chicken Pasta Casserole Recipe:

We know not everyone loves pre-made pesto or Alfredo sauce, so using your own is totally fine. Here’s our favorite recipe for homemade pesto sauce:

  • 3 cups fresh basil leaves
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, blend together basil leaves, nuts, garlic, and cheese. Pour in oil slowly while still mixing. Stir in salt and pepper.

pasta bake with pesto chicken out of the oven

Easy Pesto Sauce Recipes:

We couldn’t get enough pesto sauce after trying this recipe, and we’re pretty sure you’ll feel the same way. Here are a few of our favorite pesto recipes, using both homemade and pre-made pesto sauce.

Pesto Chicken Florentine
Pesto Tortellini Bake
Pesto Potatoes
Noodles and Company Pesto Cavatappi Copycat

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pesto chicken pasta bake served on white dish

If you’re really feeling domestic, you can serve this with our Easy Homemade Rolls, our Caprese Salad, and our Famous Marshmallow Brownies for dessert!

Want even more pasta dinners?! Try our EASY 20 Minute Tuscan Pasta!

chicken casserole serving on dinner plate
Serves: 10

Pesto Chicken Pasta Casserole Recipe

4.84 from 6 votes
Chicken, tomatoes, spinach, basil pesto, and cheese come together to make this fresh pasta bake.
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Print Pin

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces penne pasta
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded, could also use rotisserie chicken
  • ½ cup milk
  • 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 3 cups baby spinach
  • 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes drained
  • 1 15 ounce jar alfredo sauce
  • ½ cup prepared pesto
  • ½ cup plain bread crumbs
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine pasta, chicken, milk, mozzarella cheese, baby spinach, diced tomatoes, Alfredo sauce and pesto. Mix until well combined.
  • Spread mixture into a 9×13-inch baking pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a small mixing bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and olive oil.
  • Sprinkle crumb mixture on top of casserole.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until crumb topping is golden brown and casserole is heated through.

Notes

  • Make sure to rinse your pasta off in cold water after you boil it. This will keep it from sticking together when you’re trying to mix it with your other casserole ingredients.
  • Whole wheat pasta and gluten free pasta will work great for this recipe!
  • You can make your own pesto sauce and alfredo sauce, but canned sauce will work great as well.

Nutrition

Calories: 467 kcal · Carbohydrates: 41 g · Protein: 29 g · Fat: 20 g · Saturated Fat: 8 g · Cholesterol: 71 mg · Sodium: 581 mg · Potassium: 386 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 3 g · Vitamin A: 1473 IU · Vitamin C: 3 mg · Calcium: 346 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Equipment

  • 9×13-inch Baking Pan
  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Small Mixing Bowl

Recipe Details

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

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pesto chicken casserole with pasta ready to bake in oven

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  1. Julia Robison says:
    October 22, 2018
    This makes a lot, can you freeze half for another meal?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      October 24, 2018
      You can definitely freeze the other half for another meal. Be sure it's in an airtight container or freezer container covered well.
      Reply
  2. Katie says:
    January 30, 2019
    I agree, this recipe does make a lot, however, we eat leftovers at our house. We cook one day and eat leftovers the next day. So I'm always looking for recipes that is conducive to that. The two things I will do different the next time is add more Alfredo sauce so it will be creamier. I will add more pesto sauce. We hardly noticed any pesto and we all love pesto. I will definitely make this recipe again.
    Reply
  3. Samantha bahtijar says:
    March 3, 2019
    What's your favourite way of.cooking chicken For meals like this?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      March 4, 2019
      We often just boil a whole bunch of chicken breasts at a time, then shred them. If you have an instant pot, you could cook them very fast.
      Reply
  4. Beth says:
    November 11, 2020
    This was delicious! Will definitely be making this again!

    5 stars

    Reply
  5. Jamie says:
    November 11, 2020
    How much is equivalent to a serving size? It’s not specified on the nutrition info.
    Reply
  6. Kim says:
    November 22, 2020
    This was delicious but I thought I had the largest bowls available, and the ingredients didn't fit in my largest bowl . I had to mix it in a big pot . I used a slightly larger casserole than 13x9 to bake it in . I am mystified as to how others fit all of this in a 13x9. I recommend using the whole jar of pesto which is a bit more than half a cup.

    4 stars

    Reply
    • Nikki Darling says:
      February 5, 2021
      Yeah I had to use 2 pans bc it wouldnt all fit.
      Reply
  7. Ashley says:
    November 28, 2020
    Hi, are the nutrition facts for a serving, what is the serving size?
    Reply
    • Momma Cyd says:
      December 9, 2020
      All of the nutrition facts are under the recipe card in the post for this recipe.
      Reply
  8. K. Damon says:
    November 28, 2020
    This was AMAZING! I didn't add the tomatoe or the spinich but instead added broccoli. It will be on my regular meal list now. If you love pesto then you will love this recipe!

    5 stars

    Reply
  9. Esther says:
    November 29, 2020
    I used turkey leftovers, rather than chicken. Turned out well!
    Reply
  10. Angela says:
    December 21, 2020
    Any advice on how this would do if I prepared it the day before, refrigerated overnight, and baked it the next evening?
    Reply
    • Momma Cyd says:
      January 13, 2021
      You could make this (do not bake) and cover it well and stick it in the fridge. Then bake it when ready.
      Reply
  11. Diane Kesler says:
    December 30, 2020
    I did not have mozzarella the first time I made this and it was still great. I also add chopped up artichoke hearts... and the kids didn’t even notice. I imagine any veggies and leftover turkey or ham would be great in this dish as well. It is very versatile.

    5 stars

    Reply
  12. Kimmy Wright says:
    January 4, 2021
    We love this casserole. I make it with gluten free noodles. Tonight I had some funions that needed eastern up, so we crumbled them in place of the bread crumbs. We have also eaten it cold is a pasta salad.

    5 stars

    Reply
  13. Jill Alford says:
    November 2, 2021
    This was delicious! Great flavor and easy to assemble. I used Italian style diced tomatoes because it was all I had but it worked well! I will definitely make this again. It makes a lot too which is great for my family of 5.

    5 stars

    Reply
  14. Kinsey says:
    November 8, 2021
    My whole family loved this recipe. I only did one cup of mozarella and a bunch of parm. I also only put it in the oven for about 20 minutes. Next time I might add a little more alfredo. We used the pesto from Costco and it was fab. Super easy recipe!
    Reply
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