Chicken Pesto Pasta With Tomatoes Wellplated Com

This creamy pasta bake combines whole wheat pasta noodles, golden sautéed chicken, and bright, bursting cherry tomatoes in a vibrant pesto sauce. It’s hearty, filling, and cozy, the way you’d expect a chicken pesto pasta bake to be. It’s also unexpectedly fresh. A bright Basil Pesto sauce infuses the pasta with light and sunny flavor. Cherry tomatoes and spinach add healthy servings of veggies. You can just add pesto to pasta and call it a day, but I think the extra addition of veggies and herbs lifts the pasta right off of your plate Whether you need a healthy, ultra tasty dinner option to feed a crowd, want leftovers to enjoy the rest of the week, or are looking for meals you can make in advance, this chicken pesto pasta is a fantastic choice. Because pasta bake recipes like this one can be prepared entirely in advance, they’re fabulous not only for busy weeknights (meal prep win!), but for entertaining too. You can assemble this pesto pasta with veggies (or this Pesto Pasta variation too) entirely the night before and stored it in the fridge. Then when you are ready to serve, all you need to do is pop it into the oven and bake. In the event of leftovers? It reheats like a dream for our dinner the next night.

How to Make Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes

Unlike many other chicken pesto pasta recipes, this pasta with pesto is healthy, flavorful, and guaranteed to impress anyone you serve it to!

The Ingredients

Whole Wheat Pasta. One of my absolute favorite ways to instantly make any recipe healthier without a scrap of extra work is to use a whole grain option instead of white. Whole grains are higher in fiber, protein, and nutrients.

Prepared Pesto Sauce. A fantastic store-bought shortcut to keep the recipe easy-breezy! I used DeLallo Simply Pesto Traditional Basil. Its flavor is fresh, pure, and tastes homemade.Chicken. Chicken is a meat that goes well with pesto, because its mild flavor lets the pesto shine.

Mozzarella. No chicken pesto pasta bake would be complete without some nice, melty Italian cheese. For an elevated flavor, try swapping fontina, smoked provolone, or a mix of cheeses. A sprinkle of Parmesan on top is the finishing touch.Cherry Tomatoes. A classic, perfect pairing with pesto. Their color makes the pasta beautiful too.Greek Yogurt. My sneak healthy addition that keeps this as a chicken pesto pasta bake no cream. It makes the pesto pasta sauce rich and creamy without adding fat and provides protein.Frozen Spinach. Sneak healthy addition #2. Spinach is ultra mild and its green color is camouflaged by the pesto, so even picky eaters won’t suspect it.Fresh Basil. A lively addition to give the pasta additional freshness.

The Directions

Storage Tips

This tasty chicken pesto pasta is a meal-prep dream. It’s also freezer friendly and excellent leftover.

To Store. Place the baked chicken pesto pasta in an airtight storage container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.To Reheat. Rewarm leftovers in a baking dish in the oven at 350 degrees F.To Freeze. You can freeze individual portions or large quantities of this chicken pesto pasta, either before or after baking. Place your desired amount into a freezer-safe storage container or ziptop bag and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

I know you’re going to love this healthy chicken pesto pasta recipe as much as my pals and I did. It’s comfort food at its freshest and finest!

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad

45 mins

Sauteed Carrots

20 mins

Crock Pot Bread

3 hrs Looking for more fresh, healthy pasta recipes that are great for parties? Try my Skillet Lasagna with Basil, Italian Sausage, and Butternut Squash or my favorite healthy Turkey Bolognese.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Baking Dish. Perfect for this pesto chicken pasta bake. Mixing Bowls. These stack together for easy storage. Instant Read Thermometer. The best way to check if your meat is cooked through.

I am sharing this post in partnership with DeLallo. As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands and companies that make it possible for me to continue to create quality content for you! Leave a rating below in the comments and let me know how you liked the recipe.