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Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake with spinach, roasted tomatoes, and shallots in a creamy garlic-pesto sauce. This restaurant-worthy pasta dish will become an instant family favorite.
This recipe post is proudly sponsored by DeLallo. All opinions are my own.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Pesto Chicken Pasta
- Easy. Like other simple weeknight pasta recipes (Vegetable Pasta Bake, Red Pesto Pasta, and Lemon Ricotta Pasta) Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake tastes impressive with minimal effort (even the most novice cooks will ace it!).
- Hearty and Nutrient-Packed. This pasta dish is super filling and cozy, however manages to sneak in lots of veggies. The spinach, roasted tomatoes, and aromatics give it an unexpected fresh lift.
- Downright Delicious. My husband was quick to award this pasta “best on the blog” upon first bite. Between the boldy-spiced chicken, melty cheese, and luscious, vibrant pesto sauce, it will entice even the pickiest eaters.
- Versatile. This pasta can easily be vegetarian or gluten free. You can also play around with the veggies depending on what’s in season.
This is the type of dish I would proudly serve guests on a special occasion, or whip up on any given weeknight.
It makes fantastic leftovers (major win!) and is even freezer-friendly if you wish to double batch it (double win!).
A few key players that add authentic Italian flavor to this recipe are DeLallo Simply Pesto (my go-to jarred pesto!) and Tortiglioni Pasta.
We keep our pantry stocked with DeLallo pasta, sauces, and oils because you truly can’t beat the quality of the ingredients.
A few of my other favorite DeLallo creations are Bruschetta Pizza, Italian Pasta Salad, and this fabulous Goat Cheese Dip.
The Ingredients
- Chicken: I prefer using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which are an excellent source of lean protein. Alternatively, you can use chicken thighs, chicken sausage, or turkey sausage.
- Seasonings: The chicken is seasoned with Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Pasta: I’m using DeLallo Tortiglioni, which is a twisted tube pasta with ridges that spiral around the noodle. DeLallo pasta is made in Italy with an exclusive blend of the highest quality durum wheat. It always cooks up for that perfect al dente bite and clings to sauces like a dream.
- Shallots: For aromatic flavor and subtle sweetness. Alternatively, you can use yellow or sweet onion.
- Garlic: Fresh is best here! I use 4 cloves, however feel free to use more or less depending on your preference.
- Roasted Tomatoes: I absolutely love DeLallo Roasted Red Tomatoes, which are slow-roasted and specially seasoned with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, and spices. They have divine smoky-sweet fresh flavor, which can instantly elevate pasta, salads, and sandwiches. Alternatively, you can use sun-dried tomatoes.
- Pesto: DeLallo Pesto is made in Italy with a handful of fresh, simple ingredients. It includes Ligurian basil leaves, extra-virgin olive oil and crunchy pine nuts along with iconic Italian cheeses. It tastes SO fresh and fragrant, I often prefer it to homemade pesto.
- Heavy Cream: To add richness and body to the sauce.
- Cheese: A mix of Parmigiano-Reggiano for sharpness and mozzarella for creating pockets of melty, cheesy goodness.
For a complete list of recipe ingredients and quantities, see the recipe card below.
The Directions
Boil Pasta until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water.
Step 1: Season and Sauté Chicken
Toss chicken in olive oil (or tomato oil from the jar of roasted tomatoes), Italian seasoning, paprika, salt and pepper.
Sauté in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Step 2: Sauté Aromatics
Add shallots to pan and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes; cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and spinach and cook until the greens wilt down.
Step 3: Stir in Pesto and Heavy Cream.
Step 4: Add Pasta and Pasta Cooking Water; stir continuously until the sauce thickens and clings to pasta.
Step 5: Bake
Top pasta with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan and broil until melty, about 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.
Recipe Variations
- Make Vegetarian. Feel free to swap the chicken for small white beans (navy beans) or your favorite brand of plant-based chicken or grounds.
- Use a Different Meat. This recipe is also excellent with Italian pork sausage, chicken sausage, or ground turkey.
- Add some Umami. Add some salty, briny goodness by tossing in a handful of fancy Italian olives (or Kalamata olives).
- Make Gluten Free. Use your favorite brand of brown rice noodles, chickpea noodles, or lentil noodles. I especially love DeLallo Gluten Free Penne Pasta.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Use a Big Oven-Safe Skillet. You want to have room to toss the pasta without worrying about it spilling over the edges. In terms of oven-safety, cast iron and stainless steel are best.
- Have a Mise en Place. In other words, make sure you have all of the ingredients ready to go before you start cooking. This recipe comes together quickly, which means you won’t have time to pause and prep ingredients.
- Grate Your Own Cheese. Freshly grated Parmesan melts smoothly into the cream sauce, while the store-bought grated Parm can often remain quite gritty.
How to Store and Reheat
- To Store. Place leftover pasta in an airtight storage container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- To Reheat. Rewarm large portions of leftovers in a baking dish in the oven at 350º F, or individual portions in the microwave.
- To Freeze. You can freeze pesto chicken pasta, either before or after baking. Place your desired amount into a freezer-safe storage container or zip-top bag and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Weeknight Mediterranean Pasta
One Pan Creamy Tomato Pasta
30 Minute Zucchini Pesto Pasta
If you try this Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake, be sure to snap a pic and tag #dishingouthealth on Instagram so I can see your creations. Also, follow along on Facebook and Pinterest for the latest recipe updates!
Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake
Equipment
- Large oven-safe skillet
Ingredients
- 12 oz. DeLallo Tortiglioni pasta (or pasta shape of choice)
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 to 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup minced shallots
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup DeLallo Roasted Red Tomatoes, thinly sliced (or ½ cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes)
- 2 to 3 handfuls fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup DeLallo Pesto
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
- 3 to 4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, torn
- Chopped fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Boil pasta in generously salted water until just shy of al dente. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water.
- Place chicken in a large bowl and toss with 2 Tablespoons of oil from the jar of roasted tomatoes (or 1 to 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil), Italian seasoning, paprika, ¾ tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. black pepper.Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and sauté until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
- Add shallots to pan (along with an extra drizzle of oil, if needed) and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Stir in roasted tomatoes (or sun-dried tomatoes) and spinach. Cook until spinach wilts, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with remaining ½ tsp. salt.Stir in pesto and heavy cream.
- Add pasta and ½ cup of the reserved pasta cooking water. Stir continuously until the sauce thickens and clings to pasta. Stream in more pasta cooking water as needed until the sauce is thick and creamy (I usually end up using the full 1 cup). Stir in 1/3 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and cooked chicken.
- Preheat oven broiler to HIGH. Scatter torn mozzarella cheese over pasta along with remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Transfer pan under the broiler and broil until the mozzarella melts, about 3 to 4 minutes.Garnish with fresh basil and serve.
Notes
- To Store. Place leftover pasta in an airtight storage container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- To Reheat. Rewarm large portions of leftovers in a baking dish in the oven at 350º F, or individual portions in the microwave.
- To Freeze. You can freeze pasta either before or after baking. Place your desired amount into a freezer-safe storage container or zip-top bag and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Nutrition
I calculate these values by hand to ensure accuracy, however expect up to a 10% variable depending on food brands.
This was really good! Used refrigerated store bought pesto, lentil pasta, and added mushrooms.
could you replace the heavy cream with coconut milk here?
Yes, definitely!
Excited to try this! We love all your recipes! When do you add the chicken back in after transferring to a plate?
Seriously one of the best pasta dishes on the internet. Subbed chicken for ground Italian turkey sausage. It’s a must make and another bangin’ recipe from DishingOutHealth
Wooohoo! So glad you enjoyed it!!
WOW this was possibly the best pasta dish I’ve made. My picky kids even loved it. We will add this to our recipe book!
SO happy you all loved it!! Thank you for leaving a review!
This dish was outstanding! The entire family loved it. I used sun dried tomatoes (couldn’t find oven roasted) and used the oil to sauté the chicken as suggested. when using DeLallo Pesto, I did drain off the top layer of oil—I thought it might be too greasy. served this with your salad of spinach, arugula, goat cheese, pecans with orange honey mustard dressing (added sliced apple). fabulous meal
So happy you enjoyed it, my friend! Thank you for coming back and leaving a review!