Description
This Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake is a creamy, cheesy, and flavorful one-dish meal featuring tender chicken, perfectly cooked pasta, and a vibrant homemade pesto sauce, baked until golden and bubbly. It’s an easy and satisfying dinner option for the whole family.
Ingredients
Scale
- 500 g chicken breast, skinless, boneless
- 400 g fusilli pasta, uncooked
- 30 g pine nuts
- 1 tbsp olive oil or spray oil
- For the Pesto:
- 1 medium bunch basil, roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 60 ml olive oil
- 30 ml water
- For the Creamy Sauce:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 500 ml milk
- 250 ml vegetable stock (1 cube)
- 60 g parmesan, finely grated
- 100 g quark or yogurt/sour cream
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Boil fusilli pasta in salted water for 4 minutes, drain, and place in an 11×8-inch casserole dish.
- While pasta boils, blend fresh basil, chopped garlic, 60 ml olive oil, and 30 ml water in a food processor until finely chopped to make the pesto.
- Chop chicken breast into chunks. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and cook chicken for 3-4 minutes until no longer pink on the outside.
- Melt butter in a pot. Whisk in flour, then slowly add milk and vegetable stock, whisking until the sauce thickens and bubbles.
- Remove sauce from heat. Stir in quark and ⅔ of the grated Parmesan.
- Add the cooked chicken, prepared pesto, and creamy sauce to the pasta in the casserole dish. Stir everything together well.
- Sprinkle the pine nuts and the remaining Parmesan cheese over the top.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the bake is bubbly.
- Let the pesto chicken pasta bake rest for a few minutes before serving hot.
Notes
- Toast pine nuts in a dry pan before blending for enhanced flavor.
- Avoid overcooking the pasta initially, as it will finish cooking in the oven.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Consider adding frozen peas or chopped sun-dried tomatoes for extra color and taste.
- Grating your own Parmesan cheese from a block results in a creamier sauce.
- This recipe is easily adaptable to be gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta and flour.
- For a vegetarian option, omit the chicken and add roasted vegetables like zucchini or bell peppers.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Pasta Bake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 540 kcal
- Sugar: N/A
- Sodium: N/A
- Fat: N/A
- Saturated Fat: N/A
- Unsaturated Fat: N/A
- Trans Fat: N/A
- Carbohydrates: N/A
- Fiber: N/A
- Protein: N/A
- Cholesterol: N/A