Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake Recipe
This Chicken Pasta Bake is quick and delicious, featuring a creamy pesto sauce and topped with golden cheese. It combines tender chicken, flavorful pesto, and pasta into a satisfying dish ready in just 45 minutes. Perfect for a nutritious and comforting dinner!
Ingredients
- 500 g Bowtie pasta
- 400 g cooked Chicken chopped into small pieces
- 250 ml Cooking cream
- 100 g Baby spinach leaves
- 1.5 cups 100g Grated cheese, divided
- 100 g Pesto
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 180°C (350°F) with fan bake.
- Cook Pasta: Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water according to the package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta cooking water before draining.
- Prepare Ingredients: Chop the cooked chicken into small pieces.
- Combine Ingredients: In the same pot used for the pasta, add the cooking cream, baby spinach, chopped chicken, pesto, and 1 cup of the grated cheese. Stir in the reserved pasta water and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix Pasta and Sauce: Add the hot, drained pasta to the pot and mix everything together until well combined.
- Assemble and Bake: Pour the pasta mixture into a large baking dish. Spread it evenly and sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of grated cheese on top.
- Bake: Place the dish in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
- Serve: Enjoy the pasta bake hot from the oven. For a complete meal, serve with a side salad and garlic bread.
Notes
- Freezing: To freeze, cover the dish with plastic wrap or foil after adding the cheese. Thaw before reheating in the oven until piping hot.
- Additions: Cherry tomatoes and toasted pine nuts make great additions to this pasta bake for extra flavor and texture.