Cheesy Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake
This cheesy Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake recipe is all about bold flavours and simple comfort. With tender chicken in a creamy pesto sauce, loads of gooey cheese, and perfectly cooked pasta, this is the kind of dish that doesn’t just satisfy—it downright demands seconds. It’s easy to make, irresistibly hearty, and pretty much the ultimate pasta craving fix.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- 2 chicken breasts approx 350g.
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 bell pepper cut into bite-sized pieces
- 250 g pasta
- 100 g red pesto sundried tomato pesto
- 200 g creme fraiche
- 100 g Gouda cheese grated
- 20 g Parmesan cheese finely grated
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a pot of salted water. Drain the pasta about 2-3 minutes earlier than stated on the packet to keep it undercooked. Reserve a ladleful of starchy pasta water.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan (if you can, use an ovenproof frying pan - you will not need to transfer your dish into a casserole dish later).
- Fry the onions for 4-5 minutes, until slightly softened.
- Add the chicken and bell pepper, and cook for 5-6 minutes until cooked through.
- Finally, off the heat, add the cooked pasta, pesto, creme fraiche and 4 tablespoon of pasta water. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Stir about ½ of the Gouda cheese through the pasta. Transfer your chicken pesto pasta bake into an overproof dish (no need to do so, if your skillet is ovenproof). Top the bake with remaining Gouda and Parmesan cheese and place the dish in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 611kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 43gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 702mgPotassium: 698mgFiber: 4gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 1307IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 287mgIron: 2mg
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