Pasta casseroles are my favorite dinners to make last minute. This Chicken Pasta Bake is definitely a family favorite and I love making it on a busy night as we come back home from afternoon sports and kids have to finish homework while I cook. This casserole is filling, bakes fast and is super customizable.
What type of chicken do you use for this casserole?
My favorite is rotisserie chicken. It’s easy to just shred and layer the casserole with chicken that is already cooked.
Another option is to roast extra chicken when roasting chicken. Use the leftovers the next day to make this chicken pasta bake.
The last thing you want at dinner time is to tell them let me finish cooking the chicken, THEEEEN I have to bake it with pasta. You’ll have a riot in your kitchen:)).
Ingredients
This casserole is easily customizable as most pasta casseroles are. Here’s the list of how I made the version you see on the pictures. But I’ll give you some revisions and adjustments I’ve done in the past:).
- 16 ozs (1 lb ) – pasta, usually rotini but fusilli or penne pasta work great too.
- 3 cups shredded chicken (it’s ok to adjust up or down based on leftovers).
- 1 cup green peas
- 1 small yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 can tomato sauce ( about 14 ozs)
- 3 basil leaves (feel free to use dry basil if you don’t have fresh)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp oregano, sea salt to taste, black pepper
- 8 ozs mozzarella
- 3-4 ozs parmesan
- fresh parsley for garnish
Optional – I didn’t have any spinach today, but I love adding spinach to pasta bakes like I did in this Turkey Pasta Bake.
Sonila’s Step by Step Guide to this Pasta Bake
Here’s a simple guide with pictures on making this pasta bake.
- Shred chicken and set aside.
- Boil pasta a minute or two less than al dente, drain and add to a baking dish. Reserve some pasta water.
- As you add the pasta to boil, saute finely chopped onion and minced garlic in olive oil. Add tomato sauce and all the seasonings. Lower heat to low as soon as it boils so the sauce doesn’t splatter all over the kitchen. Add half a cup of pasta water and mix well.
- Layer the pasta on the baking dish, then add the shredded chicken and green peas. Add half the mozzarella cheese.
- Pour the seasoned tomato sauce over pasta and chicken. Mix well. Add the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes. Add parmesan and bake for 5 more minutes.
- Garnish with parsley and serve with a salad and some garlic bread for a complete dinner.
Chicken Pasta Bake
Equipment
- 1 Deep skillet to make the tomato sauce
- 1 Large pot
- 1 Colander
Ingredients
- 16 ozs pasta I used rotini this time
- 2-3 cups shredded chicken
- 1 yellow onion small
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 14 ozs tomato sauce usually 1 can
- 1 tsp oregano
- 3 basil leaves
- 1.5 tbsp sea salt, divided 1 tbsp for pasta water, the rest adjust to taste
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup green peas
- 8 ozs mozzarella
- 4 ozs parmesan
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley garnish
Instructions
- Boil pasta in water with 1 tablespoon of salt, until few minutes less than al dente, drain and reserve in a colander. Reserve some pasta water on the side.
- Simultaneously, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add tomato sauce, basil leaves, oregano and salt/black pepper. Let cook in low heat for few minutes. Season the sauce to your personal taste (more seasonings, spice etc).
- Shred chicken if it's not already shredded. Add pasta on a baking dish. Layer chicken and green peas on top.
- Layer half of the mozzarella cheese on top. Pour cooked tomato sauce and mix all ingredients together. Layer the last half of mozzarella cheese on top.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees F. Add parmesan cheese on top and bake for 5 more minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with a salad and garlic bread!!
Notes
- Leftovers hold well in the refrigerator, in an airtight container for few days. Warm up the leftovers in the microwave in a microwave safe container or in a skillet in the stovetop.
Nutrition Label
Nutrition
If you would like to save this recipe for later, please pin one of the pictures from this post to your boards in Pinterest. Let me know in comments if you made this dinner and if you made any adjustments of your own.
Thank you for reading my blog, my family and I appreciate it!!
More Dinner Recipes
These are some popular dinner recipes from my blog:
- Garlic Mustard Chicken
- Tarragon Chicken
- Chicken in a Sun Dried Tomatoes and Feta Cheese Sauce
- Pasta Chorizo Bake
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