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Food | 10.07.19

Healthy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Casserole

Whole wheat pasta, chicken, and broccoli in an easy-to-make creamy cashew sauce that can be ready in 30 minutes. This Healthy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Casserole is EVERYTHING and perfect for a quick, weeknight dinner!

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Healthy Chicken Broccoli Pasta in a white casserole dish on a grey napkin.

It doesn’t get much easier than this Healthy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Casserole for dinner. Creamy, savory, delicious, and SO effortless! Here’s what we love about it:

  • It’s a one-pan (err, casserole dish) meal – so easy cleanup!
  • It can be prepped in advanced and/or frozen and reheated.
  • It’s great for feeding a crowd.
  • It can be lower-carb (more on that below).
  • It’s one of the quickest, easiest healthy dinner recipes we’ve ever made!

Did we mention how this recipe legitimately tastes like comfort food heaven? It’s the BEST!

RELATED: 15 Easy Weeknight Healthy Pasta Recipes

Close up of Healthy Chicken Broccoli Pasta in a white casserole dish.

Make this Healthy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Casserole in 30 minutes!

As in ACTUAL 30 minutes! Here’s how to make it happen:

  • This recipe uses pre-cooked chicken. Have this Roasted Chicken on hand or purchase a rotisserie chicken for making this recipe quickly during the week!
  • We’re all about using pre-cut or frozen broccoli to speed up the process if you need to.
  • The pasta and broccoli cook (in the same casserole dish as everything else) while you make the creamy cashew sauce, which saves time!

Steps for how to make Healthy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Casserole.

The creamy cashew sauce

This cashew sauce is INCREDIBLY easy to make! You’ll need cashew butter, chicken (or vegetable) broth, unsweetened almond milk, a small amount of almond flour, garlic, paprika, and salt/pepper. Simply mix it all together and you’re set!

The pasta

There are a few options for the pasta! We used whole wheat pasta in this recipe. However, we also love using this lower-carb pasta that’s made with chickpeas! If you use the lower-carb option, be sure to lower the amount of time for cooking the pasta (as it gets soft pretty quickly) by about half. Check it often to make sure that it stays firm before adding in the broccoli and remaining ingredients!

The cheese topping

Since this recipe is dairy-free, we used vegan shredded cheese to top off the dish. However, regular shredded cheese is great as well! You can also add more or less cheese as desired.

Side shot of Healthy Chicken Broccoli Pasta in a white casserole dish.

Tips for taking this Healthy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Casserole to the next level

  • Make sure that the pre-cooked chicken is seasoned well. We love this seasoning!
  • Use high-quality, organic chicken for this recipe! Butcher Box is a great option for affordable, free-range organic chicken. Here’s our full review of Butcher Box if you’re interested in learning more!

Cubed chicken, broccoli, rotini pasta, cashew cream, and vegan cheese in a casserole dish.

More healthy comfort food recipes:

  • The BEST Sweet Potato Soup Recipe
  • The BEST Coconut Lentil & Chickpea Curry
  • Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Squash Casserole
  • Creamy Healthy Chicken Enchilada Skillet
5 from 19 votes
Print Recipe

Healthy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Casserole

Whole wheat pasta, chicken, and broccoli in an easy-to-make creamy cashew sauce that can be ready in 30 minutes. This Healthy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Casserole is EVERYTHING and perfect for a quick, weeknight dinner!
Course: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 461 kcal
Author: Christine McMichael

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. whole wheat rotini
  • 3 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 medium broccoli head (about 2 cups florets)
  • 1 1/2 cups precooked chicken, cubed
  • 1/3 cup cashew butter
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
  • 2 Tbsp almond flour
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • salt/pepper (to taste)
  • 1/2 cup vegan shredded cheese (or regular)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Spread the pasta evenly on the bottom of a casserole dish.
  • Pour 2 1/2 cups of the broth over the pasta and place in the oven for about 7-10 minutes (ensuring that the pasta is softened, but still firm).
  • Add the broccoli florets over the layer of pasta and pour another 1/2 cup of broth over everything.
  • Bake for another 10 minutes.
  • While the pasta and broccoli are baking, mix the cashew butter, almond milk, remaining broth, almond flour, garlic, paprika, and salt/pepper to create the sauce.
  • Add the chicken and sauce to the casserole dish and mix.
  • Add a layer of cheese over the entire casserole, then place back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes (or until everything is warm).
  • Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 461 kcal | Carbohydrates: 44 g | Protein: 33 g | Fat: 20 g
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @jar.of.lemons or tag #JarOfLemons!
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Rating




97 Comments

  1. Julie @ Running in a Skirt says:

    May 6, 2020 at 2:26 pm

    5 stars
    This sounds like such a great recipe! I love the option for the lower carb pasta and vegan cheese. So tasty.

    Reply
  2. Sarah says:

    May 5, 2020 at 7:21 pm

    5 stars
    This looks so delicious! I love new casserole options.

    Reply
  3. amy says:

    November 7, 2019 at 7:49 pm

    What recommendations do you have for prepping this on a Sunday and eating Monday or Tuesday

    Just cook and then reheat? Or prepare, and cook on the day of.

    Also – using gluten free pasta wont change anything?

    Reply
    • Christine McMichael replied:

      November 13, 2019 at 1:04 pm

      Hi, Amy! I would recommend cooking, storing in a microwave safe container, and storing in the refrigerator. To reheat, simply place the container in the microwave and heat up for about 4-6 minutes (depending on the quantity). For gluten free pasta, I would cook it for less time in order avoid it becoming mushy!

      Reply
  4. Doris says:

    October 24, 2019 at 6:28 pm

    5 stars
    Loved this though I made a couple changes. I used Smart Balance Original cause I didn’t have cashew butter and regular flour as I had no almond flour. Also used regular pasta. Husband said it is a keeper! I used veggie cheese on a third of dish as I am lactose intolerant but others in home are not. It worked out great! Thanks for recipe!

    Reply
  5. Sandhya Ramakrishnan says:

    October 16, 2019 at 6:53 pm

    5 stars
    I am in love with one pot meals and always look forward to recipes to use for my weeknight dinner. Love the cashew sauce that you have used and I am a big fan of whole wheat pasta. I still have not ventured into gluten free options.

    Reply
  6. Byron E Thomas says:

    October 16, 2019 at 10:14 am

    5 stars
    Another great recipe! I feel like I’m cooking everything you publish. Ha! I substituted the chicken with turkey, because I had a lot of turkey left over after our Canadian Thanksgiving. It was delicious!

    Reply
  7. Stephanie says:

    October 15, 2019 at 4:04 pm

    5 stars
    This casserole looks insanely good! I’m always looking ways to break up our dinner rut and this looks like the perfect recipe to do that!

    Reply
  8. Natalie says:

    October 15, 2019 at 6:04 am

    5 stars
    Looks delicious and it’s so healthy too. Love that you used whole grain rotini here. Sounds delicious. I will definitely give this a try.

    Reply
  9. Stephanie McKercher says:

    October 12, 2019 at 9:08 am

    You really can’t beat a good cheesy broccoli casserole! This sounds so delicious and I love that you can make it dairy-free!

    Reply
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