This one-dish pesto chicken pasta bake is so flavorful and easy to pull together that you may never go back to making pasta on the stove again!
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There is nothing better than a no-boil pasta bake recipe. It’s the epitome of ease! The entire meal cooks in a single casserole dish, prep is a breeze, and there is no need for additional pots and pans. The flavors of this pasta bake are perfectly balanced by the bright, herby flavors of the pesto, saltiness from the cheese, plus the sweet and tart combo of the sun-dried tomatoes, all carried by perfectly cooked pasta and tender chicken. The result is a super flavorful, fulfilling meal that is beautiful and tastes great!
If you’re looking for a compilation of our best recipes that work really similarly to this one, check out our 5 Best No Boil Pasta Bake recipes.
No Boil Pesto Pasta Bake Ingredients
The ingredients are simple, but the flavor is complex! Here’s what you’ll need to make this pesto pasta bake:
- 12 ounces of penne pasta
- 22 ounces of pesto
- 1 ½ cups of chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 8 ounces of mozzarella pearls
- 1 ½ pounds of chicken breast
- 8 ounces of sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
- 1 tablespoon of Balanced Bites Italian Spice Blend (or 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning + 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of pepper
How to Make Pesto Pasta Bake with Chicken
After just 10 minutes of hands-on prep, your meal will be ready to bake. Here’s how you’ll make this pesto pasta bake with chicken:
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Season the chicken. Cube your chicken into 1” pieces and season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Prep the pasta. To a 9×13 casserole dish, add the pasta, pesto, chicken broth, and lemon juice. Stir to combine, then add the chicken and sun-dried tomatoes and give the ingredients one more stir to ensure everything is well incorporated. Finish it off by placing the mozzarella pearls evenly throughout the dish.
- Cover and bake. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy! Remove the foil carefully, the steam will be hot! Serve and enjoy!
Variations on Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake
- Make it gluten-free. Use gluten-free pasta (we used this one) to make this dish gluten-free.
- Make it vegetarian. If you prefer to have a vegetarian dish, simply omit the chicken. It will still be just as tasty and satisfying!
Recipe Tips
Pesto sauces vary. Our favorite pesto is the basil pesto from Costco (it’s a great deal for such a delicious product!). If you use a freshly made pesto, like the one you can find at a local grocer, you may find that your dish has a lot more oil than a shelf-stable prepared pesto. We recommend using less pesto if this is the case.
Get a tight seal. Make sure that the foil is tightly sealed over the casserole dish to ensure that it traps the steam to help cook the pasta.
Submerge the pasta. To ensure that all of the noodles cook through, make sure the pasta is covered in the sauce/broth mixture before it heads into the oven. If it’s not, some of the top noodles may not get cooked through.
How to Serve Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake
This chicken pesto pasta bake is a complete meal on its own, but if you are looking to add something to it, a simple side salad with mixed greens is a great addition.
Storing Baked Chicken Pesto Pasta
To store your chicken pesto pasta bake, let the dish cool completely, then cover the dish or transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best part about this recipe (besides it being delicious!) is that you do not have to boil the pasta before baking. Simply mix all of the ingredients together in a dish, cover, and bake. Everything cooks together in the oven.
The pesto sauce plus the chicken broth act as the cooking liquid for the pasta, so it can go into the oven raw.
The pesto heads into the dish with all the other ingredients for this pasta bake.
Video
More Favorite Pasta Recipes
Pesto Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne pasta
- 22 ounces pesto
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 8 ounces mozzarella pearls mini
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast cubed
- 8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
- 1 tablespoon Balanced Bites Italian Spice Blend (or 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning + 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Cube your chicken into 1” pieces and season with the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- To a 9×13 casserole dish, add the pasta, pesto, chicken broth, and lemon juice. Stir to combine, then add the chicken and sun dried tomatoes and give the ingredients one more stir to ensure everything is well incorporated. Finish it off by placing the mozzarella pearls evenly throughout the dish.
- Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Remove the foil carefully, the steam will be hot! Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Pesto sauces vary. Our favorite pesto is the basil pesto from Costco (it’s such a great deal for such a delicious product!). If you use a freshly made pesto, like the one you can find at a local grocer, you may find that your dish has a lot more oil than a shelf-stable prepared pesto. We recommend using less pesto if this is the case.
- Get a tight seal. Make sure that the foil is tightly sealed over the casserole dish to ensure that it traps the steam to help cook the pasta.
- Submerge the pasta. To ensure that all of the noodles cook through, make sure the pasta is covered in the sauce/broth mixture before heading into the oven. If it’s not, some of the top noodles may not get cooked through.
- Make it gluten free. Use a gluten free pasta (we used this one) to make this dish gluten free.
- Make it vegetarian. If you prefer to have a vegetarian dish, simply omit the chicken. It will still be just as tasty and satisfying!
Nutrition
This was good. I read the comments and added 1/2 cup more broth, after using less pesto (used a standard jar from heb, maybe 9 oz) Some noodles were a little crunchy. Next time I’ll add more broth.
We’re glad you enjoyed this recipe, Jess!