Description
Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake is a creamy, cheesy, flavor-packed dish loaded with juicy chicken, roasted tomatoes, fresh spinach, and rigatoni tossed in vibrant pesto sauce. An easy weeknight dinner that’s comforting, crowd-pleasing, and ready to impress!
Ingredients
12 oz DeLallo Tortiglioni pasta (or similar short pasta)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 Tbsp oil from roasted tomato jar (or extra-virgin olive oil)
1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp paprika
1 ¼ tsp salt, divided
½ tsp black pepper
1 large shallot, finely chopped (or ½ cup chopped onion)
4 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup roasted red tomatoes, chopped (or sun-dried tomatoes)
3 cups fresh baby spinach
½ cup DeLallo pesto sauce
¾ cup heavy cream
⅔ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1 ¼ cups torn mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil, for garnish
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain and set aside.
In a bowl, toss chicken with oil, Italian seasoning, paprika, ¾ tsp salt, and pepper.
Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and sauté for about 8 minutes until cooked through. Transfer chicken to a bowl.
Add shallots to the same skillet (plus extra oil if needed). Cook about 3 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes; cook 1 minute.
Add roasted tomatoes and spinach. Cook 2-3 minutes until spinach wilts. Season with remaining ½ tsp salt.
Stir in pesto and heavy cream. Add pasta and ½ cup reserved pasta water. Stir until sauce thickens and clings to pasta, adding more pasta water as needed.
Stir in ⅓ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano and the cooked chicken.
Preheat broiler to HIGH. Sprinkle mozzarella and remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano over pasta. Broil 3-4 minutes until cheese melts and is golden.
Garnish with fresh basil and serve!
Notes
Don’t overcook your pasta—it will bake further in the oven.
Sun-dried tomatoes are a great swap for roasted tomatoes.
Watch carefully while broiling to avoid burning the cheese.
You can substitute chicken thighs, chicken sausage, or even turkey sausage for the chicken breast.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: stove + Broiler
- Cuisine: Italian-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 560 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 720 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 115 mg