Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Creamy, flavorful, and healthy, chicken Tuscan pasta bake is perfect to eat right away or to prep ahead and freeze for another day. It’s especially nice for sharing with people in need of a meal, too.
How long it takes: 45 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: pasta pot, 9 x 13 inch baking dish, large skillet
Servings: 6
Meal Train Casserole
Many of us have been called upon to cook for a friend who may be in need of a warm meal. An organized version of providing meals for those in need is called a “Meal Train.” It’s a wonderful idea but sometimes it can be hard to think of a recipe to use. This chicken Tuscan pasta bake is a recipe I rely on when I’m bringing a meal to friend.
Another one of my meal train favorites is this easy ground turkey soup with beans & spinach. I make a double batch and then I have dinner made for my family, too. I love to make my whole wheat chocolate chip cookies, bringing a couple dozen baked and a couple dozen additional balls of dough that I’ve frozen. If the new moms have surprise visitors (and you know they will!), they can pop the frozen cookie dough balls in the oven and enjoy freshly baked cookies with their visitors.
Hearty Chicken Tuscan Pasta Bake
Comfort food. I will be adding this chicken pasta bake to my rotation for new parents. It’s the epitome of comfort without being overly rich or fattening. Whole wheat pasta, chicken breast, and kale make it a hearty and healthy meal. Creamy cheese ties it all together and will keep you coming back for more.
So flavorful. The tangy, chewy sun-dried tomatoes are little flavor bombs and really add extra oomph to the recipe. Don’t leave them out! I utilize both the tomatoes and the oil they’re packed in for this recipe. I’ve found that the flavor-infused oil is perfect for sautéing the chicken and vegetables.
Freezes well. One of the best parts of this pasta bake is that you can make it ahead and freeze it so it’s ready to use when the need arises. This is also a benefit when you’re making it for a meal train, just in case the family is inundated with food. They can stick it in the freezer to use later.
Recipe Tip
If you do plan to freeze and reheat this, you may wish to add a can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes to the recipe to prevent it from drying out!
Recipe Variations
Use a different green. Baby kale can be replaced with spinach or another tender green. If you use curly or Lacinato kale, remove the stem and thick middle stalk first. Chop the kale finely. It will take a little longer to soften than baby kale.
Add mushrooms. I love to add mushrooms to this recipe! Sauté 8 oz. sliced white mushrooms with the chicken and onions.
Make it vegetarian. Omit the chicken and use mushrooms instead.
Leftover baked pasta: Refrigerate leftovers promptly. The pasta will keep for up to 4 days. Individual portions can be reheated gently in the microwave.
To freeze: Cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and foil and place in freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, thaw overnight in the fridge. Remove plastic and cover with foil. Place in cold oven and turn oven to 350°F. Bake for 30 minutes covered, and then uncover and continue baking for 15-20 minutes longer or until heated through.
More Baked Pasta Recipes
Chicken Tuscan Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1 pkg. (13.25 oz) whole wheat penne pasta (or any type of pasta you prefer)
- 1.25 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup diced onion (about 1 small onion)
- 1 clove garlic, minced (or more, if you like)
- 5 ounces fresh baby kale
- 1 jar (7 oz.) julienne cut sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
- 3 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (or regular cream cheese)
- 1 cup milk (2% or whole milk)
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- If baking immediately, preheat oven to 350°F. Otherwise, begin on step 2.
- Drain the jar of sun-dried tomatoes, reserving the oil. Arrange the tomatoes on paper towels and use additional paper towels to pat off the excess oil.1 jar (7 oz.) julienne cut sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain when finished cooking.1 pkg. (13.25 oz) whole wheat penne pasta
- Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of reserved sun-dried tomato oil (or olive oil) and add chicken and onions. Sauté until chicken is cooked through and onions are translucent, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.1.25 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces, ½ cup diced onion, 1 clove garlic, minced
- Add kale and drained sun-dried tomatoes and cook until kale is wilted, stirring frequently.5 ounces fresh baby kale
- Add cream cheese, milk, and Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine and cook until cream cheese is melted and incorporated.3 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, 1 cup milk, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Add cooked pasta and stir to coat pasta with all other ingredients. Pour into prepared baking dish and top with mozzarella cheese.1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- If baking immediately, place in preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted. If you like a softer noodle, cover with foil during baking.
Notes
- To freeze: Cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and foil and place in freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, thaw overnight in the fridge. Remove plastic and cover with foil. Place in cold oven and turn oven to 350°F. Bake for 30 minutes covered, and then uncover and continue baking for 15-20 minutes longer or until heated through.
- Vegetarian: Skip the chicken and substitute 8 oz. sliced white mushrooms. Sauté them with the onions. If you’re not a vegetarian but still love mushrooms, you can use both the chicken and the mushrooms if you want.
- Different greens: Baby spinach can be substituted for the baby kale. If you use curly or lacinato kale, remove the stem and tough inner stalk, and chop it finely. It will take longer to soften.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Hi! Are you able to separate it in small/personal portions and then microwaving the small amounts? Thinking about making this as my freezer lunch meal for work. Thanks!
I think that would work well!
Could you use spinach instead of kale?
That will work great!
I made this for a ‘freezer baby shower’ for a friend and made a second one for dinner for me. My boyfriend who thinks kale should be left in the yard, ate and loved it too! Thanks so much for sharing this!!!
I’m so glad you liked it! I love that it converted a kale-hater! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Made this for an Oscar party, and people loved it! I will say that the assembling, chopping, cooking, draining, etc. required a LOT more prep time than 10 minutes. Since I’ve never cooked with kale, a little direction on what to do with it (strip leaves, toss stems, cut, etc.) would be helpful. Also a bit of guidance on seasoning would help. I punted, and it was fine (S, P, red pepper flakes in the sauce, air-dried shallots), but amounts and other ideas would be useful. Love the use of lower fat ingredients. I added sauteed portobello mushrooms to increase the veggie component. I used ribbon noodles, as that’s what I had, and they worked well. Because they’re a little more subject to breakage than penne, I made the sauce separately and poured it over rather than tossing. I think tossing would distribute the flavors better, but this worked pretty well and kept the pasta intact. Thanks for this delicious–and seemingly very flexible and forgiving!–recipe!
I’m so glad this was a hit, Fran! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, and for the valuable feedback! I really appreciate it. I bet it was delicious with mushrooms! :)
Hi! I made this and froze it so I can save it for a busy night. However, I made it in a glass casserole dish and I don’t think it’s a good idea to put frozen glass into an oven, even if starting from a cold oven. The change in temp will still be too rapid and I don’t want to have shattered glass in my oven/food! So I let it thaw out in my fridge over night. Can you suggest a baking time/temp for this case?
Thanks, can’t wait to eat this casserole – it looks so tastey!
You can bake it at the same temperature, but it will probably cook in 30-45 minutes. Hope that helps!
Found this recipe while looking to freeze several meals before surgery! Glad I came across it! Froze and reheat great! I did however use spinach instead of kale and I made a second time with kielbasa instead of chicken
Oooh yummy! So glad you liked this recipe – thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment! I hope your surgery and recovery goes well!
This is a PERFECT meal to bring to a friend in need. But seriously–2 babies and no meals?!! That is a shame. So glad you could love on her.
I know, I couldn’t believe it! People these days! ;)
I made this for my coworker and her family and they loved it! She said her little guy gobbled it up, and they ate it all week. Now, I need to make it for myself :)
I’m so happy to hear that! She’s lucky to have a friend like you! :)
Hi Rachel! My girlfriend brought this over for me after I had my baby this spring. It was SO WONDERFUL having it in the freezer and pulling it out on a day where no one wanted to cook! When we reheated it, it was a little bit dry. Is there something I can do next time to make it less dry? Thanks!
Great question! I’ve experienced some dryness when I reheat this recipe too. To combat that, I typically sprinkle a little milk or chicken broth over it prior to reheating – around 1/4 cup should be enough. You could also stir in a small can of diced tomatoes (15oz) before freezing to make it a little more moist when reheated. Or you could always sprinkle more cheese on top…I find that’s a good solution to most cooking problems. ;)
deliciously easy!