Pesto-Chicken Penne Casseroles Recipe

Pesto-Chicken Penne Casseroles Recipe Pesto-Chicken Penne Casseroles Recipe photo by Taste of Home Rating 5

Creamy, flavorful and so easy to fix, this meal-in-one will wow family and friends. Get ready for recipe requests for this easy chicken casserole! —Laura Kayser, Ankeny, Iowa

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Pesto-Chicken Penne Casseroles Recipe
  • Prep: 20 min. Bake: 40 min.
  • Yield: 12 Servings
20 40 60

Ingredients

  • 1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta
  • 6 cups cubed cooked chicken
  • 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Italian cheese blend
  • 3 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 jar (15 ounces) Alfredo sauce
  • 1-1/2 cups 2% milk
  • 1 jar (8.1 ounces) prepared pesto
  • 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chicken, cheese blend, spinach, tomatoes, Alfredo sauce, milk and pesto. Drain pasta and add to chicken mixture; toss to coat.
  • Transfer to two greased 8-in. square baking dishes. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and oil; sprinkle over casseroles.
  • Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly.
  • To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

Nutritional Facts 1-1/3 cups equals 612 calories, 30 g fat (13 g saturated fat), 111 mg cholesterol, 829 mg sodium, 41 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 42 g protein.

Originally published as Pesto-Chicken Penne Casseroles in Simple & Delicious May 2010, p59

Full-Bodied White Wine

Enjoy this recipe with a full-bodied white wine such as Chardonnay or Viognier.

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Reviews for Pesto-Chicken Penne Casseroles

Pesto-Chicken Penne Casseroles Recipe

Pesto-Chicken Penne Casseroles

Tell us what you think of this recipe.
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(11-20) of 45 reviews

Reviewed on Jul. 10, 2012 by termur

This was one of the best recipes I have tasted!

Reviewed on Jun. 07, 2012 by fabricpixie

This is great but because of hubby's sodium-restricted diet I had to make changes, using homemade ingredients instead of cans/jars, added broccoli and more spinach too.

This is gonna be wonderful for when I host Bunco nite!

Reviewed on Apr. 24, 2012 by ekatiakarpova

It is very tasty!!!! I didn`t have Italian Cheese blend so I have used Mozzarella and Med Cheeder blend.

Reviewed on Feb. 29, 2012 by chocoloco

This made a huge 9x13 casserole, fed three men, four women and two children. This was a definate crowd pleaser!

Reviewed on Jan. 14, 2012 by WhitneyR

Everyone in my family loves this dish! I spend a Sunday afternoon on it. I double the recipe, make homemade pesto, homemade alfredo sauce and use fresh chopped tomatoes. We have one for dinner that night and three in the freezer! You have to space them out though, because it is loaded with calories and fat.

Reviewed on Jan. 03, 2012 by gastoncty

Made today and it tastes great. However, I have a problem with the amount indicated as two 8-inch square pans. My recipe filled one 9 X 12-inch pan PLUS two 8-inch square pans. I froze the square pans and baked the other. More to share, yummy.

Reviewed on Dec. 16, 2011 by jennywrenn

I would definitely make this again! I love how it makes 2 - one for now, one for later. Tastes especially good with garlic bread.

Reviewed on Oct. 27, 2011 by mtorres3

I can see why this was rated so highly...it is excellent! However, it probably isn't one dish I will make too often, just for special occasions. Thanks for the recipe though.

Reviewed on Sep. 28, 2011 by proverbs169

Our family loved this recipe, it was very good, the ingredients went so well with each other, we will be making this again!

Reviewed on Sep. 18, 2011 by kheuer728

This was delicious!! I used rotisserie chicken to make it a little easier. I also used Light Alfredo sauce and thought it was still very creamy. I will definitely make this again!

 
 

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