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6 December, 2021 by Ruthy Kirwan

No-Boil Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake

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Toss dry rigatoni with tender chicken, zingy pesto, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and top it all with melty cheese. Easy weeknight pasta dinner!
Toss dry rigatoni with tender chicken, zingy pesto, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and top it all with melty cheese. Easy weeknight pasta dinner!
Toss dry rigatoni with tender chicken, zingy pesto, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and top it all with melty cheese. Easy weeknight pasta dinner!
Toss dry rigatoni with tender chicken, zingy pesto, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and top it all with melty cheese. Easy weeknight pasta dinner!
Toss dry rigatoni with tender chicken, zingy pesto, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and top it all with melty cheese. Easy weeknight pasta dinner!
Toss dry rigatoni with tender chicken, zingy pesto, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and top it all with melty cheese. Easy weeknight pasta dinner!

A flavorful no-boil pasta bake that’s easily made ahead of time to cook later!

Whoever likes standing at the stove waiting for pasta to boil, raise your hand.

…..

…..

Wait, is that…. nobody!?

What if you could just throw your pasta in with other ingredients, pop the whole dish in the oven, and come back to perfectly tender pasta tossed with flavorful ingredients and topped with melty cheese?

If you’re suddenly throwing your hand up in the air, then this is going to be your fave new weeknight recipe, my busy friend.

We’ve all seen those no-boil lasagna sheets in the grocery store. The same concept can be carried through to a pasta bake like this one, filled with bite-sized chicken pieces and zingy pesto and cherry tomatoes that burst open in the cooking process, adding moisture and flavor all at once.

It’s even better when this is an amazing prep-ahead meal. You can pack a resealable bag or container with everything but the pasta, then combine on the night you’re ready to cook, wrap everything in foil, and bake.

I love that this is a really customizable, flavorful recipe, also. It’s very forgiving and lends itself well to the addition of extra leftovers tossed in.

It could not be easier and I can’t wait to share this recipe with you! Plus, this easy pasta dish makes some banging leftovers.


You might also like: 27 Dinners That Make Great Lunches the Next Day


What kind of extra additions do you recommend?

Proteins: shredded chicken, leftover cooked sausage, chickpeas, cooked bacon, canned tuna

Vegetables: cooked broccoli, canned corn, cooked green beans, artichokes, sundried tomatoes

Extras: Black olives, nutritional yeast on top once it’s out of the oven, roasted garlic cloves

Can I make this ahead of time and store it?

Yes! I don’t recommend making it as instructed, by mixing the dry noodles in with the rest of the liquids, seasonings, and toppings. But you can mix the “wet” ingredients together, then combine with the dry ones and top with cheese right before wrapping and baking.

Some of my noodles didn’t cook! What happened?

Just like when you’re when boiling pasta in water on the stove, all the noodles need to be submerged underwater so they’ll cook. When you’re mixing the ingredients of this recipe together, take care to go back over and find pieces of pasta that are sticking up and tamp them back down til they’re submerged.


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Toss dry rigatoni with tender chicken, zingy pesto, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and top it all with melty cheese. Easy weeknight pasta dinner!

No-Boil Pesto Pasta Bake

Ruthy Kirwan
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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Course Dinner
Servings 4

Equipment

  • 1 9"x13" Casserole Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 8 ounces button mushrooms sliced
  • 2 cups rigatoni pasta
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 12 ounces shredded mozzarella

Instructions
 

Prep Ahead

  •  In a large resealable bag or container, combine the chopped chicken, sliced tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, pesto, and broth (or bouillon)
  • Smush and stir contents to combine. 
  • Chill in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Prepare From Prepped:

  • Preheat the oven to 350*F.
  • Spread pasta at the bottom of a 13×9" casserole dish
  • Dump the contents of prepared bag on top of pasta, covering the pasta mixture completely, making sure all the pasta pieces are submerged in liquid.
  • Scatter cheese evenly on top.
  • Wrap in aluminum foil.
  • Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour.
  • Remove foil, stir, and serve hot.

Make From Fresh:

  • Preheat the oven to 350*F.
  • Spread pasta at the bottom of a 13×9" casserole dish
  • Cover pasta with chicken, mushrooms, and tomatoes.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the broth and pesto.
  • Cover the pasta mixture completely, making sure all the pasta pieces are submerged in liquid.
  • Scatter cheese evenly on top.
  • Wrap in aluminum foil.

Video

Notes

This crazy simple weeknight meal starts with dry pasta- it cooks right in the pan! Change it up with any other toppings- black olives, sundried tomatoes, artichokes- the possibilities are endless. Don’t forget the cheese, though!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
0/5 (0 Reviews)
Category: Chicken, Dinner, Oven BakedCooking Type: Oven BakedMain Ingredient: ChickenMeal Type: Dinner

About Ruthy Kirwan

Ruthy Kirwan is a recipe tester and developer living in NYC with her two small kids and hard-working husband. She created Percolate Kitchen in 2016 to help busy people get their act together in the kitchen. Learn more at percolatekitchen.com/about

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You work hard. Dinner should be easy.

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