Name: Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 medium summer squash; 1/2 Tbsp avocado oil; 8 oz. penne pasta (dry); 1 cup plain yogurt; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp pepper; 1 1/2 cups Spinach Basil Pesto; 2 cups cooked chicken (cubed or shredded); 1 cup grape tomatoes (halved); 1 cup shredded mozzarella; 2 Tbsp crushed walnuts (optional, for topping)

Welcome to my new favorite summertime weeknight dinner: Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake! I love that it incorporates the beautiful flavors of summer produce, but it’s so incredibly easy to put together. It truly is the ultimate healthy meal, and my entire family and I are obsessed with it!

If you’ve been on the search for an easy recipe that’s wholesome but also full of deliciously unique flavors, then this pasta bake is for you. It’s versatile enough to make it your own, it can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen, and it’s wonderful for feeding a crowd of picky eaters. Everyone will love this recipe!

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Close up of wooden spoon scooping Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake out of casserole dish.

In This Post

Ingredients
How to Make Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake
Freezing/Refrigerating
Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake – A Recipe Everyone Will Love!
More Wholesome Pasta Recipes

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need for this easy recipe:

Cooked Chicken – Rotisserie chicken, roasted chicken, or cooked chicken breast are all great options for this recipe. Simply cut the chicken into cubes or shred it for the casserole!

Penne Pasta – I love using lentil or chickpea pasta for healthy recipes! Whole wheat pasta works great, too.

Spinach Basil Pesto – The star of the show in this recipe is the Spinach Basil Pesto! Make your own (in 5 minutes or less) or you can buy regular basil pesto for this recipe as well.

Summer Squash – Summer squash, zucchini, eggplant, or even butternut squash are all great options.

Tomatoes – There’s nothing like fresh summer tomatoes when they’re ripe and in season! I used grape tomatoes in this recipe, but any type of tomato will work.

Yogurt – Plain yogurt mixed with salt, pepper, and garlic make a creamy sauce that ties this recipe together. Any type of plain yogurt will work (greek, low fat, whole milk), and sour cream is another great substitution.

Mozzarella – Top this pasta bake with just right amount of mozzarella! But can you really ever have too much??

Toppings (optional) – Feel free to add crushed walnuts, basil, parsley, cilantro, or play around with any type of fresh herb for a little extra flavor!

Ingredients for Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake.

How to Make Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake

Making this pasta bake is SO easy. All you need is a casserole dish, a pot for cooking the pasta, and a cutting board. Here’s how to make this Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake:

Roast the squash in the casserole dish.
Cook the pasta.
Mix up the yogurt and seasoning.
Add the yogurt mixture and pesto to the pasta.
Combine everything in the casserole dish with the roasted squash.
Top with cheese.
Bake until everything is warm and the cheese is melted!

Summer squash in a rectangular casserole dish.

Pesto pasta, tomatoes, chicken, and summer squash in a casserole dish.

Freezing/Refrigerating

One thing that I love about this recipe is that you can make a big batch and store the rest in the fridge for leftovers all week long. It can also be frozen or made as a freezer meal! Here’s how to store it:

Refrigerator – Store the leftovers in the refrigerator by placing in an airtight container. This recipe can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days!

Freezer – To freeze, place the cooked meal in an airtight container without the lid and let cool in the refrigerator for an hour. Then place the airtight lid on the container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months!

Tip: It’s best to reheat the meal in the oven from frozen for about an hour, so a freezer safe container that’s also oven safe is ideal (like these freezer-to-oven airtight containers). However, the meal can also be reheated in the microwave!