Pesto Chicken Pasta Casserole Recipe

When it comes to easy family dinners, this Pesto Chicken 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.

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!

Related recipe: If you like this casserole, you’ll love our Mom’s Easy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole.

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.

Homemade Pesto Sauce 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.

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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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!

Serves: 10

Pesto Chicken Casserole Pasta Bake

4.8 from 5 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

Recipe Details

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Author: Elyse Ellis

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