Summary:
This pasta bake is a weeknight dinner staple in my household: a garlic and cheesy pasta casserole with chicken that feeds a crowd. This is an easy recipe; only one dish required (just the baking dish) and everything is cooked at the same time in the oven. No need to boil the pasta or cook the chicken beforehand.
INGREDIENTS
- 6 ounces
rotini pasta uncooked - 12 ounces raw boneless and skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/2 to 1 inch chunks (if you have cooked chicken, that’s fine too)
- 10 cloves garlic chopped
28 ounce can diced tomatoes liquid included- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2.5 cups shredded cheese mix of cheddar, Monterey jack, mozzarella, and asiago
- 2 cups whole milk
For the herb topping:
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup
panko bread crumbs - 1/4 cup dried herbs mix of thyme, basil, and parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
- Set the oven to 400 F. Spray cooking oil on a 9 x 13 inch casserole pan.
- Add and distribute all of the casserole ingredients onto the pan. Stir so that the ingredients are mixed.
- Tightly cover the pan with two layers of foil, and place in the oven to bake until the pasta and chicken are cooked, about 50 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and turn the oven up to broil. Prepare the herb topping by mixing all of the topping ingredients together.
- Remove the foil from the pan. Distribute the herb topping over the casserole. Place the uncovered pan back in the oven and let it broil until the topping is browned and crispy, about 5 minutes.
- Let the casserole cool before scooping into it, about 10 minutes.
NUTRITION
471 kcal/serving
PHOTOS
I must have done something wrong. There was a solid layer of cooked milk on the top and a lot of liquid still when I took it out. Anyone else have that issue?
12/23/22– My family found the flavor of this recipe boring and the noodles soft, over-cooked. I really wanted to like it because of the ease of not cooking the noodles before making a casserole would be fewer dishes and less time. I am sad.
Can you use spegtti noodles broke in half?
Yes, that should work as well.
I couldn’t believe how easy this recipe was
Hi! I’m worried about the milk…Is-it necessary? Can I use chicken broth instead? Thanks a lot, and it does look good…:-)
Hi Marianne! I don’t think it will work well without milk, unfortunately.
is it supposed to be 16 ounces?
If you mean the pasta, then no, it really is 6 ounces of pasta. You don’t need much! ?
Looks and sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Thanks Chris!