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Three Cheese Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake Recipe
Make aheadand freeze for a rain day three cheese pesto chicken pasta bake.
Now that summer is over (boo) and we're back into the full swing of school which means crazy busy schedules, rainy cold days and more I like to simplify our meals as much as possible. This three-cheese pesto chicken bake helps me to do that as it's a meal we can make ahead and put in the freezer for another day or even use up leftover chicken in it.Anything I can do to get a delicious dinner on the table with little prep after a long, busy day is a winner in my opinion.
This three cheese pesto chicken pasta bake helps to make a busy week a little bit easier. I can put it all together on a day off, freeze it and take it out when we've had a busy day. It can go from the freezer to the oven (if in an appropriate dish) and walk away until it's all ready to eat. We definitely have days where it's helpful to not have to do the dinner prep, freezer to oven is perfect.
This three cheese pesto chicken pasta bake is a comfort food on those cold, grey days. It's become a new family favourite. I make sure to make a big batch so that it will last a few days and wecan even put some in a thermos to take for lunch at work or my daughter to school.
We always make sure to buy chicken raised by a Canadian Chicken Farmer. We know we're getting quality chicken that has been raised to the highest standards of care when we see the Chicken Farmers of Canada logo below.
Canadian chicken is a healthy choice is that it’s grain-fed, free of added hormones and steroids, and raised right here in Canada according to nationally-set, high food safety and animal care standards.There is a mandatory, robust, third- party-audited Animal Care Program that is administered across all Canadian chicken farms.
Now who is ready to find out how to make this delicious three cheese pesto chicken pasta bake? I'm getting hungry!
Yield: 8
Three Cheese Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake Recipe
This recipe for a Chicken Pasta Bake is versatile, quick, easy and packed with delicious flavor. Add spinach, mushrooms or your favorite sauce for a family favorite!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups milk
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 ½ cups asiago cheese, grated
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
- 8 oz rotini pasta (cooked al dente works best)
- 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1” cubes
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
- 1 ½ cups fresh baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
- ⅓ cup pesto
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the minced garlic, stirring until fragrant, around 30 seconds. Add the flour and whisk into a paste.
- Slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously, until smooth and combined. Add the cream cheese and stir until smooth and thick, around 5 minutes. Stir in the asiago cheese and season generously with salt and pepper.
- In a greased 13x9 pan, add the rotini pasta, chicken, spinach, and mushrooms. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, then gently pour the sauce over the dish and stir. Drizzle the pesto over the top of the dish, then add the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes and enjoy!
Notes
For freezer prep: prepare dish as above, but instead of baking, cover and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw completely before baking (especially for glass dishware), or bake from frozen at 350 degrees for 45 mins covered with foil and 30 minutes uncovered.
You can cook the pasta as per the package instructions but I find al dente works best for our tastes as the pasta softens a bit more in the casserole
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 528Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 140mgSodium: 615mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 44g
Please note that we can not guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information. They are a best guess calculation.
Now doesn't that make your mouth water? Wouldn't your family love to try this three cheese pesto chicken pasta bake? All that goodness in one dish that leaves you filling full and satisifed.
We hope you love thisthree cheese pesto chicken pasta bake as much as we do. You can substitute with your favourite cheese and of course leave out the spinach and/or mushrooms if you wish but why would you? Feel free to PIN this yummy recipe for later.
Don't forget to check our recipes section for more yummy recipes from desserts to appetizers and more HERE.
More info about Chicken Farmers of Canada can be foundHERE
Facebook:Canadian Chicken, Twitter:@ChickenFarmers, Instagram:@ChickenDotCA; Pinterest:ChickenDotCA.
Disclosure: I am participating in the Chicken Farmers of Canada campaign managed bySJ Consulting. I received compensation in exchange for my participation in this campaign. The opinions on this blog are my own.
By Powered by Mom on September 9th, 2018
About Powered by Mom
I’m Michelle aka Powered by Mom. I’m married with one daughter, my hubby was my high school sweetheart, our two dogs Nyx and Cleo and our cat Oliver. As you can see we’re a family of animal lovers. We love to travel when we can, try different food and activities all over the world and enjoy being together. My passions are writing, travelling, creating new recipes, encouraging people to adopt not shop and just to enjoy life while we can.
More posts by this author.
48 thoughts on “Three Cheese Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake Recipe”
This looks delicious! It has everything in it that my family loves.
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This looks amazing. I will have to try this out.
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Looks delicious! I like this recipe.
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This is so healthy and looks delicious! I PINNED IT!
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Perhaps a silly question, but it does not specify whether you have cooked the pasta first. I presume so, but I've made a stovetop recipe which combined prior to cooking, so figured it best to check!
Thanks
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Not a silly question at all, yes you cook the pasta first 🙂
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Why not edit recipe above to either include “cook pasta” step or change ingredient to read “pasta, prepared according to package directions.“ There are recipes out there that the pasta is cooked in the dish. I didn’t think to scroll through comments to find out (after I had already assembled), If someone asked the question - then I’m not the only one that had the same question. Please edit your recipe to reflect this important step - thank you.
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Hi Jen,
Thanks for pointing that out as we had updated it last year but it seems it reverted back to the old one for some reason. Thanks again and hope you liked it once it was figured out.
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Chicken pasta bake.. sounds good. I never had it before
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This looks so yummy but we are low carbers but I also think it looks easy to convert to that, thankfully YAY!
I am thinking I could replace the pasta with cauliflower and use some almond flour or such to replace the regular flour. The rest of it should be fine as is.Reply
I love pasta and my family likes any chicken dish I make. This is a must try recipe for me.
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This sounds really really good. But your recipes always do. Thanks for another fantastic dish to try.
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This includes some of my favourite things. I have to try this. I would personally leave out the mushrooms!
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This looks so yummy! I will give it the true test by making it for my grandchildren.
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I can't wait to try this recipe. It looks delicious.
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I printed this for later this week. Love the ingredients!
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I am excited to try this dish. It looks great and I think it would be a winner with my family. Thanks for sharing!
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My hubby loves chicken dishes and I am always looking for new ways to make chicken. This recipe would definitely be a hit in our home.
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This is going on the list of things to make this winter
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I love good pasta dishes like this. Chicken and cheese is a big bonus, too. Yum.
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I really like your recipes here, i'm sure the family will enjoy this also. I definitely would have biscuits or flat bread with this meal.
@tisonlyme143Reply
This looks good! I do plan on making this once I get the stuff for it.
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My kids will love this without the mushrooms!!
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I had to pin this delicious chicken recipe! I’m also sharing on my Facebook page!
I love chicken and I never get tired of eating
it! Especially with three cheeses!! Of course, I would add some more of my favorite ingredients, like mushrooms, spinach, etc.
Thank you for sharing!Reply
This looks yummy...always looking for new chicken recipes to try... Love that you can freeze it...not all recipes do well with freezing...anything to make our lives easier!
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This looks good...always looking for new chicken recipes
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This sure looks good, and a nice way to use pesto. This is a recipe I'd love to try.
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We eat a lot of chicken at our house. I am always looking for new recipes to make it. I can't wait to try this. My family will love this. Thank you for sharing
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This looks very hearty. I'd like to try it. Thanks for posting!
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I was so glad to see this recipe as I had seen the picture on Instagram, and it looked so good! I saved it to pinterest so I can make it at home. It sounds like something my grandson would even like! ????
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It is so nice to have meals for busy nights tucked away in the freezer! I'd much rather have home cooked meals over fast food.
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This sounds like a perfect comfort food as we are getting into fall! I love pasta so much!
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I love a good pasta, especially if it's got cheese so prominent.
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Three Cheese Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake Recipe seems like a wonderful and tasty dish for me to try in the winter months!
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I like the idea of this casserole a lot...love cheese, love pasta, love mushrooms, cook quantity, freeze, not have to cook for awhile. I always make recipes as is the first time i make them and then make adjustments to suit my taste...this sounds good as written.
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this chicken looks like a great comfort dish, i cant wait to try it with my family!
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That looks delicious. My whole family likes casseroles.
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My mind is rolling with ways for me to fix this. As a senior that is just too much to make for me.......... BUT I could put this together in small pie pans. Bake a couple for me today/tomorrow, and the rest in the freezer. Got a plan
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(Three Cheese Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake Recipe) Oh my goodness does this recipe ever sound good to me. I will make this for when I meet up with my two brother's next month in October for our dinner one night.
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my husband fusses about any sauces i really think he would love this because the only sauce in it is the one created by the ingredients cooking process. if i were to make it in a crockpot how would i change it? asking because summers still on and i would like to make it in the near future which means we cook exclusively outside
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Hi Beverly,
Sorry I haven't tried making it in a crockpot and I think it would be quite different. It might work in an Instant Pot though...
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I love pasta and chicken. This recipe looks and sounds delicious. I like that it is on the healthier side as well.
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I love like to make this soon, it looks super yummy
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This looks really delicious! I would have to leave the mushrooms out because I am the only one that likes them.
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I love pretty much any pasta dish. Adding cheese is just a great big bonus!
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This sounds delicious! Perfect for our evenings as a family or on the weekends when additional family and friends visit. Thank you for sharing this.
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Looks good . always on the prowl for new ways to prepare chicken!
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Wow, this sounds absolutely delicious!! I love casserole dishes like this, they make preparing dinner so much easier for me! And this flavor combination sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing!
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