This baked pasta is comfort food at its finest. Filled with chunks of chicken, penne pasta, chopped tomatoes all wrapped up in a creamy cheese sauce. Make this ahead of time and pop in the oven before dinner.
This is a delicious casserole that will leave your family feeling satisfied!
I have updated this recipe! The recipe is still the same, but the proportions now make one 7x11" casserole dish instead of the two dishes it made previously.
If you still like to make two for a large crowd or so you can freeze one for later, just hit the 2X button in the recipe below. The proportions will change automatically for you!
Why make this pasta dish
I love baked pasta dishes and this Chicken Pasta Bake is delicious!
Pasta is comfort food and this creamy chicken pasta is no exception. All that cheesy goodness along with chunks of chicken is just pure deliciousness. This dish is a hit with my family.
I love serving a delicious hearty meal that's easy to prepare. If you have any leftovers, they are equally delicious reheated the next day!
The best part is this pasta bake can be assembled ahead of time and then baked when it's dinner time.
Key ingredients
- Pasta - penne pasta or other hearty pasta
- Chicken - cooked and dice. This is a great dish to use leftover chicken!
- Cheese - Monterey Jack and parmesan cheese
- Diced Tomatoes - use canned peeled tomatoes that are drained from the juices. I use my homemade canned tomatoes!
- Milk - whole milk makes the creamiest sauce
Step by step directions
- Place olive oil, garlic and flour in a saute pan over medium heat. Stir for 1-2 minutes.
- Slowly whisk in milk and add seasonings
- Allow milk to come to a simmer, but not a boil. Lower to medium low heat and continue simmering until sauce thickens
- Turn off heat and whisk in cheese and stir well until cheese is melted
- Add chicken and tomatoes
- Add cooked and drained pasta
- Place in an 7x11 inch greased casserole dish
- Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese
- Bake in a preheated 400° oven for 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbly
- Let rest for 5-10 minutes and serve hot
- Garnish with fresh parsley
Recipe tips
- Make your sauce while your pasta is cooking
- Be certain to fully drain your pasta
- Use can diced or whole tomatoes. Fully drain and chop if needed.
- Turn heat off once you add the cheese. This will help prevent your sauce from breaking.
Variations
- Pasta - any hearty pasta; ziti, fettucini, or thick spaghetti
- Cheese - pepper jack, colby, or gouda. Smoked gouda would also be delicious
- Meat - leftover turkey or cooked Italian sausage
- Veggies - add 1 cup of cooked broccoli, peas, mushrooms or asparagus
Recipe Faqs
Yes, you can make it ahead of time. Assemble the casserole, but instead of putting it in the oven, cover casserole and place in the refrigerator until ready to bake. May need to increase baking time by 15 minutes
Yes, this dish can be fully prepared and then frozen before baking. To use a frozen bake, I pull it out of the freezer in the morning and bake in the evening.
The pasta will still be slightly frozen and you will need to increase the baking time by 30- 45 minutes.
Serving suggestions
More delicious pasta recipes
- Spinach Stuffed Shells
- Ham Tetrazzini
- One Pot Sausage, Peppers and Onions Pasta
- Chicken Orzo Pasta
- Ham and Pea Pasta
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
If you loved this recipe you'll LOVE all the others in this category. Check out all my main dish recipes here!
Chicken Pasta Bake
Ingredients
Pasta
- 8 ounces penne pasta
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 2 cups milk (whole milk )
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ⅛ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese (shredded, about 2 cups)
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (shredded)
- 2 cups Cooked chicken (chopped)
- 1 cup Canned diced tomatoes (15 oz can, drain juice)
Topping
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley (chopped, optional)
Instructions
Pasta
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.8 ounces penne pasta
Sauce
- In a sauce pan over medium heat combine oil and flour. Stir for 2-3 minutes.2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons flour
- Add minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds.1 clove garlic
- Whisk in milk. Continue cooking over medium low heat, stirring often. Add seasoning. When milk begins to simmer, it will begin to thicken. Do not boil.2 cups milk, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ⅛ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Turn heat off and whisk in Monterey Jack cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- Add tomatoes and chicken. Fold in gently.1 cup Canned diced tomatoes, 2 cups Cooked chicken
- Add cooked and drained pasta and fold gently until covered with cheese sauce
- Spray a 2 quart (8x11") casserole dish with a non stick spray. Add pasta mixture.
- Top with remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- Bake uncovered in a preheated 400° oven for 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly
- Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving
- Add chopped parsley before serving1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley
Video
Notes
- Make your sauce while your pasta is cooking
- Be certain to fully drain your pasta
- Use can diced or whole tomatoes. Fully drain and chop if needed.
- Turn heat off once you add the cheese. This will help prevent your sauce from breaking.
- Cheese - pepper jack, colby, or gouda. Smoked gouda would also be delicious
- Meat - leftover turkey or cooked Italian sausage
- Veggies - add 1 cup of cooked broccoli, peas, mushrooms or asparagus
David says
Can you freeze it, and if so how much time should I add to the cooking time
Kathy says
Hi David,
Yes, this dish can be fully prepared and then frozen before baking. To use a frozen bake, I pull it out of the freezer in the morning and bake in the evening.
The pasta will still be slightly frozen and you will need to increase the baking time by 30- 45 minutes. This time will vary, depending on how frozen your dish still is.
Enjoy,
Kathy 🙂
Christene Dorsett says
This turned out great, my son and husband loved it! Very yummy! Might try to create a dairy free gluten free version with substitutes.
Kathy says
Great!!! Thanks so much for your comment. I really appreciate it.
Kathy 🙂
Pat says
Didn’t realize this made 2 large pans when I started - will have plenty to freeze! Didn’t have quite enough chicken so added some sliced turkey, didn’t have Monterey cheese so used Mexican mix, used a mixture of 1/2 and 1/2 and milk - was still Devine😄
Kathy says
Hi Pat,
I'm glad you'll have enough to freeze and was able to adapt this recipe to work for you!
Kathy 🙂
Kathy says
Pat,
Just wanted to let you know that I've adjusted this recipe to make just one casserole dish. You can still make two, just hit the 2X button in the recipe card and it will automatically convert the recipe for you.
Kathy 🙂
Angela says
Hi Kathy,
Can I used whole wheat flour?
Thanks,
Kathy says
Hi Angela,
You can use whole wheat flour. You might need to reduce the amount used by 1-2 teaspoons.
Let me know how it turns out!
Kathy 🙂
Robert says
Hi I'm going to make this tonight. Do I cook the chicken completely.
Kathy says
Hi Robert,
Yes, the chicken should be fully cooked prior to adding to the rest of the ingredients.
Enjoy 🙂
Susan says
This looks delicious and sounds like a breeze to make! My question is regarding the 28 oz can of diced tomatoes and whether you drain all the juice before adding? Looking at the casserole, it doesn’t appear to have the coloring of juice added. Please advise. Can’t wait to try over weekend!
Kathy says
Hi Susan,
Yes, drain the juice off the tomatoes before adding.
Enjoy!!!
Kathy 🙂
Angela says
This was really easy and very tasty. I made the recipe for 6 (glad it allowed me to adjust on the print page). I used egg yolk noodles because I prefer the soft consistency and used mozzarella as I didn't have Monterey Jack. Also, I did not bake for 40 min. I baked it for about 25 (just until the top looked touch brown and cheese was all melted and bubbly.). My husband and son loved it.
Thanks for the recipe. It was my first time on your site so I will have a peruse of your other recipes.
Kathy says
Thank you, Angela!!! I love how you made this recipe your own! I hope you enjoy more recipes. I look forward to hearing from you again!
Kathy 🙂
Cath Gallagher says
The recipe calls for 1/4 cup flour mixed with the oil but then mentions flour again. How much flour should be in it? I tried to make using 1/4 cup flour as per recipe but my sauce wouldn’t thicken? So, dinner ruined as don’t have enough milk to start again!
Kathy says
Hi Cath,
I'm sorry for the confusion. This recipe uses just a 1/4 cup of flour which is enough to thicken the sauce.
Kathy
colleen says
Was hoping to make this tonight. Any clue if either colby or swiss, or a mixture of the 2 would work? I do not have any jack cheese on hand. I do have the grated parm tho. Please advise.....
Kathy says
Hi Colleen,
You really can use almost any type of cheese you like. For me, I don't believe colby and swiss are a good combination, but one or the other should be fine. Swiss will have a much stronger taste.
Enjoy! 🙂
Meghan says
Haven't made this yet; would love to try. But is there any way I could make this without using quite so much oil?
Kathy says
Hi Meghan,
The oil and flour are mixed together to make a roux, which thickens the sauce. You could try using cornstarch and water mixed together in place of the oil and flour. Please note that the consistency will be very different. It won't be a creamy sauce, it will be a bit more similar to gravy.
Another idea is to use all heavy cream in place of the milk and allow the cream to thicken when being heated.
I'm afraid I don't have a low calorie/fat version of this recipe.
Kathy