Description
Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake is a comforting, cheesy dish with tender chicken, pasta, and a rich pesto cream sauce, baked to golden perfection. Perfect for family dinners or meal prep.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked pasta (penne, rotini, or your choice)
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional: cherry tomatoes or spinach for extra veggies
Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- In a skillet, heat olive oil and cook chicken until lightly browned and fully cooked. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine heavy cream and basil pesto. Stir in cooked pasta and chicken until evenly coated.
- Transfer mixture to a greased baking dish. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden.
- Optional: top with fresh basil or cherry tomatoes before serving.
Notes
You can make this ahead of time and bake later. For a lighter version, substitute half-and-half for heavy cream or use part-skim mozzarella.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Dish / Pasta
- Method: Oven-Baked
- Cuisine: Italian-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 410
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 620mg
- Fat: 26g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 90mg
Keywords: pesto chicken pasta bake, creamy chicken pasta, baked pasta recipe, cheesy pasta dinner