Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake (Printable)

Tender chicken and pasta in basil pesto sauce, topped with golden melted mozzarella cheese for a comforting baked dinner.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 10.5 oz penne or rigatoni

→ Chicken

02 - 2 medium chicken breasts (about 12 oz), diced

→ Pesto & Sauce

03 - 1/2 cup basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
04 - 1 1/4 cups tomato passata or marinara sauce
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 2 tbsp olive oil

→ Cheese

07 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella
08 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

→ Seasoning

09 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 - Fresh basil leaves, for garnish (optional)

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 390°F.
02 - Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until just al dente. Drain and set aside.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced chicken, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 5–7 minutes until cooked through and lightly golden. Add minced garlic and cook for another 1 minute.
04 - Stir in the tomato passata (or marinara sauce) and half of the pesto. Simmer for 2–3 minutes, then remove from heat.
05 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, chicken mixture, half of the mozzarella, and remaining pesto. Stir gently until evenly mixed.
06 - Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
07 - Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden and the sauce is bubbling.
08 - Let rest for 5 minutes before garnishing with fresh basil and serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The pesto creates this incredible aromatic base that infuses every single bite with fresh basil flavor
  • Its one of those rare meals that tastes even better as leftovers the next day
02 -
  • Undercooking the pasta by 1 to 2 minutes is crucial since it absorbs liquid and continues cooking in the oven
  • The resting period is not optional, it lets the cheese set so you get clean scoops instead of a messy slide
03 -
  • Use rotisserie chicken for an even faster weeknight version, just skip the sautéing step and add it directly to the sauce
  • Letting the chicken and tomato sauce simmer together before combining with the pasta makes a huge difference in flavor depth
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