Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake
This cozy Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake is so good! It has tender chicken, pasta, and a super creamy homemade pesto sauce, all baked until bubbly. It's the perfect easy dinner for your family.
Ingredients
- 500 g chicken breast skinless, boneless
- 400 g fusilli pasta uncooked
- 30 g pine nuts
- 1 tbsp olive oil or spray oil
For the Pesto:
- 1 medium bunch basil roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove chopped
- 60 ml olive oil
- 30 ml water
For the Creamy Sauce:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 500 ml milk
- 250 ml vegetable stock 1 cube
- 60 g parmesan finely grated
- 100 g quark or yogurt/sour cream
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep the oven and pasta: First, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Boil your fusilli pasta in salted water for only 4 minutes, drain it, and pour it right into your casserole dish.
- Make the pesto: While the pasta boils, blend the fresh basil, chopped garlic clove, olive oil, and water in a food processor until it’s finely chopped.
- Cook the chicken: Next, chop the chicken breast into chunks and cook them in olive oil for 3-4 minutes. They won't be fully cooked, and that's perfect!
- Create the cream sauce: In a pot, melt butter, whisk in flour, then slowly add milk and vegetable stock, whisking until the sauce is thick and bubbly.
- Combine everything: Take the sauce off the heat and stir in the quark and ⅔ of the parmesan. Add the chicken, pesto, and sauce to the pasta and stir it all together.
- Bake and serve: Finally, scatter the pine nuts and the last bit of Parmesan on top. Bake for 20 minutes until golden and bubbly, then serve it up hot. ENJOY!!!
Notes
- Toasting the pine nuts in a dry pan first really brings out their amazing flavor.
- Make sure you don't overcook the pasta, or it might get too soft in the oven.
- You can keep leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days in a sealed container.
- Try adding some frozen peas or chopped sun-dried tomatoes for extra color and taste.
- Grating your own Parmesan cheese from a block makes the sauce way creamier.