Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake

This pesto chicken pasta bake is a simple one-pot dish that's wonderfully creamy and filled with delicious Mediterranean flavours everyone loves. It contains a moderate amount of fat and no heavy cream. Ready in under 40 minutes.

Course Main

Cuisine Italian fusion, Low fat

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 489kcal

Author Monika Dabrowski

Equipment

Casserole dish (approx. 28/20 cm or 11/8'')
Food processor

Ingredients

1.1 pounds chicken breast skinless, boneless
3½ cups fusilli pasta uncooked
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 teaspoons olive oil or use oil spray

For the pesto

1.06 ounces basil med. bunch, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water

For the creamy sauce

2½ tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup+2tsp milk
1 cup+2tsp vegetable stock made using 1 stock cube
5-6 tablespoons parmesan finely grated
4 tablespoons quark or yogurt/sour cream
Sea salt and pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 F/ 190 C/ gas mark 5.
Boil pasta: Boil the pasta in salted water for 4 minutes (it needs to be a little undercooked), strain and place in a 28/20 cm (11/8'') casserole dish. While the pasta is boiling make the pesto sauce.
Make pesto: To the food processor add the basil, 2 tablespoons of oil, 2 tablespoons of water and garlic. Blend until the basil is finely chopped. Season lightly and set aside.
Cook chicken: Cut the chicken into chunks (not too small). In a large non-stick pan heat 2 teaspoons of oil (or use oil spray), add the chicken, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook over a medium/high heat for 3-4 minutes turning occasionally (the chicken should not be cooked completely at this point). Transfer the chicken into a bowl (along with the juices) and set aside while you make the sauce.
Make sauce: In a saucepan melt the butter then add the four and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Gradually add the milk and stock whisking until the sauce thickens and starts bubbling. Remove from the heat, whisk in the quark and ⅔ of the parmesan and add pepper to taste.
Assemble: To the casserole dish add the chicken (along with the juices), pesto and white sauce and stir until thoroughly combined with the pasta.
Bake: Scatter the pine nuts and the remaining parmesan over the top and bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Notes

It is important to only partly cook the pasta as well as the chicken before assembling the casserole, otherwise you'll end up with soggy pasta and tough chicken.
Season individual components of this dish, i.e. the chicken as well as the pesto and boil the pasta in salted water. You may not need to add any salt into the sauce as it contains stock but be generous with pepper.
Do not leave the chicken in the pan you cooked it in as it will continue cooking. Make sure you add the juices from cooking the chicken along with the meat into the casserole.
Best served immediately. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Add a splash of water to loosen the sauce when reheating it.
Freezing: see bottom of the post.

Nutrition