This simple rooster pasta casserole is a satisfying dinner recipe stuffed with colourful greens, juicy rooster, and wealthy, tacky layers of penne.
Who’s hungry? This creamy, tacky weeknight rooster pasta casserole is the right household dinner with leftovers to spare. Juicy rooster items mixed with tender veggies, candy cherry tomatoes, and penne come collectively in a wealthy and creamy baked pasta that’s assured to be a brand new favourite!
My daughter Aleksandra completely loves this pasta bake. It’s her go-to consolation meals after a busy day of college and dance apply. Watching her get pleasure from each chunk makes it much more particular for me!
Why We Love This Pasta Casserole
Stuffed with coloration and taste. This baked penne pasta is stuffed with recent and colourful greens and juicy rooster, cooked in a flavorful cream cheese sauce with garlic and herbs.
Filter out your crisper drawer. A pasta casserole recipe is tremendous versatile. It’s top-of-the-line methods to make use of up the greens you will have in your fridge. This recipe makes use of carrots, mushrooms, and tomatoes, however you’ll be able to change up the substances relying on what’s readily available.
Make-ahead. Put together your casserole the night time earlier than, and have it wrapped and able to bake for last-minute dinners.
What You’ll Want
Try the important thing substances right here, together with some useful notes and substitutions. Bear in mind to scroll to the recipe card for the total quantities and particulars.
- Pasta – Penne is my go-to, however you may make this pasta bake with any kind of pasta you’d like (see under). Be at liberty to make use of common or whole-wheat pasta.
- Olive Oil and Butter – For sautéing. Be at liberty to make use of all oil or all butter if you happen to favor.
- Rooster – Skinless boneless rooster breasts or thighs, chopped into cubes earlier than you begin.
- Mushrooms – Any selection you favor, similar to brown or white mushrooms, cremini, or portobello (or no mushrooms in any respect, if you happen to aren’t a fan).
- Garlic – Freshly minced garlic has one of the best taste. You’ll be able to adapt the variety of cloves to style.
- Carrot – Chopped into bite-sized rounds.
- Broth – Low-sodium vegetable broth or rooster broth.
- Seasonings – Garlic powder and Italian seasoning, to season the sauce.
- Flour – All-purpose flour helps thicken the sauce. You too can cornstarch, or arrowroot powder to make the sauce gluten-free.
- Milk and Cream Cheese – Complete or 2% milk, together with a bundle of cream cheese (you’ll need to use the type that is available in bricks).
- Tomatoes – I take advantage of cherry tomatoes. Should you’re utilizing bigger tomatoes, cube them up first.
- Cheese – Freshly shredded mozzarella and freshly grated parmesan. You too can use one other melty cheese, like cheddar.
- Parsley – For garnish.
What Kind of Pasta Ought to I Use?
This pasta bake works nice with penne pasta or one other brief tubular pasta, like ziti or rigatoni. In fact, you should utilize any kind of pasta you will have within the pantry. Strive bowtie pasta, conchiglie, fusilli, and even lengthy varieties like spaghetti or linguine. For one more enjoyable pasta casserole made with spaghetti, strive my baked turkey tetrazzini.
How you can Make This Rooster Pasta Casserole
Let’s run by means of a fast step-by-step to make this tasty creamy pasta casserole with juicy rooster.
- Cook dinner the substances. Boil the penne pasta. In the meantime, get your rooster scorching alongside mushrooms, garlic, and carrots in a big skillet with butter and olive oil.
- Make the sauce. Season a bowl of broth with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Whisk in flour, and pour the inventory into the skillet together with some milk. Simmer for a minute, then soften within the cream cheese.
- Mix. Toss the pasta within the rooster and sauce combination, and add tomatoes. Combine once more after which switch the coated pasta to a casserole dish.
- Bake. Bake the casserole beneath foil at 350ºF for about half-hour. Afterward, take away the foil, add shredded cheese, and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes uncovered.
- Serve! Let your pasta bake stand for a bit, then plate up with a aspect of salad and dig in.
Recipe Ideas
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Be sure that to solely boil your pasta al dente (with chunk) in line with the bundle instructions, and don’t cook dinner it too mushy to begin. Overcooked pasta will proceed to bake within the oven and develop into mushy.
- Add extra veggies. Different tasty greens embrace diced zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers, frozen peas, and onions, or greens like kale and spinach.
- Completely different protein. Substitute the rooster items with Italian sausage or shrimp.
- Use pre-cooked substances. Cube up leftover baked rooster breast or use cooked shredded rooster and stir it into the sauce. You are able to do the identical with any pre-cooked greens that you’ve readily available. It’ll save the time it takes to sauté!
- Assemble the casserole forward. Get a headstart on dinner and put together this casserole proper up till you’d bake it. As an alternative, wrap it tightly and place it within the fridge in a single day. It’ll be able to bake the next day. See under for directions on how you can retailer leftovers.
Serving Options
This rooster pasta casserole is an all-in-one meal, or you’ll be able to serve it with a easy aspect of fluffy dinner rolls and crunchy kale salad for a well-rounded dinner. This gentle skillet cornbread is one other agency favourite in our home! Or, whereas the oven is scorching, bake up a aspect of oven-roasted asparagus or crispy roasted inexperienced beans to convey much more veggies to the meal.
Storing Leftovers and Reheating
Retailer any leftover casserole hermetic within the fridge for as much as 2-3 days, or freeze it for as much as 3 months. Defrost the pasta within the fridge earlier than reheating within the microwave or on the stovetop.
Extra Rooster Pasta Recipes to Strive
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Preheat oven to 350ºF.
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Cook dinner the pasta in line with the directions on the field.
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Warmth olive oil and butter in a big skillet; add rooster, mushrooms, garlic and carrots; cook dinner till heated by means of, and carrots are fork tender.
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Within the meantime, in a small mixing bowl whisk collectively broth, salt, pepper, garlic powder, italian seasoning and flour; whisk till utterly mixed.
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Add to skillet with rooster and stir. Stir in milk. Cook dinner and stir till thickened and bubbly.
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Add cream cheese and proceed to cook dinner till cream cheese is easy, stirring steadily.
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Take away from warmth. Add pasta combination, rooster combination and tomatoes; toss to coat.
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Switch to a 3-quart casserole dish. Cowl with foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or till heated by means of.
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Take away foil, stir combination and sprinkle with cheeses. Proceed to cook dinner for 8 to 10 minutes, or till cheese is melted.
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Take away from oven and let stand 5 to eight minutes.
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Serve.
Energy: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 12g | Fats: 15g | Saturated Fats: 6g | Ldl cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 280mg | Potassium: 295mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2125IU | Vitamin C: 7.1mg | Calcium: 206mg | Iron: 1mg
Dietary data is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values could differ in line with the substances and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed data.
