No-Boil Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake

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.

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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.

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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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Must-Have Products for This Recipe:

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