Chicken Pasta Bake
Chicken pasta bake is a simple and delicious dinner that will please even the pickiest eaters.
Ingredients
Casserole ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta cooked and drained to package instructions in well-salted water
- 1 pound chicken cooked, and diced into bite-sized pieces
- 25 ounces Marinara sauce (I am using a jar of Aldi organic Marinara)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional, fresh basil would also be fantastic!)
Ricotta parmesan filling (optional)
- 1 pound part skim ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon parsley dried
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper (1/4 teaspoon each)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
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Mix up the ricotta parmesan filling in a medium bowl, and set aside.
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Toss the cooked pasta with the jar of sauce. I do this in the same (empty, removed from heat) pot I cooked the pasta in to dirty up fewer dishes.
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Pour half the pasta and sauce in a casserole dish. I am using a Corningware 2.5 quart casseroled dish. A 9 x 13 also works.
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Spoon on ricotta filling, and use the back of your spoon to carefully spread it around evenly.
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Add the other half of the pasta mixture.
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Layer on the bite-sized chicken pieces, making sure to spread them somewhat evenly.
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Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese.
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Sprinkle the dried oregano on top of that.
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Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees until the cheese melts, about 15 to 17 minutes. See notes for baking pre-prepped refrigerated version.
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Remove from oven, and sprinkle on fresh herbs (parsley or basil) to garnish, if desired.
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Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
If you want to prep the casserole ahead and refrigerate it, here are my suggestions. Prepare everything, except do not sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top yet. When you get ready to bake it, bake the casserole (without the mozzarella) for 10 minutes first. Then remove from the oven and sprinkle on mozzarella. Cook until cheese melts and just as it starts to brown, about 15 to 17 minutes.
We make this without the ricotta parmesan filling often, and it is still good. The filling makes it more delicious, but sometimes you just need ultra quick and easy.
You can use gluten free pasta in this recipe. Cook to al dente (still with some bite to it), about a minute shy of package instructions. This prevents it from falling apart.