Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake

4.50 from 2 votes

This Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake is a family favorite dish that is easy to whip up and is the perfect make-ahead meal for when you're short on time.

Yield: 1 (9x13) baking dish. (Half the recipe to fill an 8x8 baking dish.)

Prep Time25

Cook Time30

Total Time55

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: people

Calories: 379kcal

Author: Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere

Ingredients

½ teaspoon oil or melted butter
1 lb chicken breast, cut into chunks
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Sauce

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, un-drained
2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
1 ½ tablespoon onion powder
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp garlic powder
2 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoon marjoram
2 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon salt
2 c water
2 c chicken broth (we prefer low sodium)

Putting It All Together

1 lb pasta (small shapes like Farfalle), dry
¾ c Parmesan cheese, grated
¼ c whole wheat breadcrumbs

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400F.
Heat oil in a medium sauté pan. Toss chicken chunks with salt and pepper and brown, 3-5 minutes, until the outside is golden. (They will not be cooked through.) Remove from heat.
In a medium saucepan, mix tomatoes, tomato paste, and spices. Add water and broth, and bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Place the dry pasta in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle ½ c of Parmesan over the pasta. Pour the sauce over the pasta and cheese. Nestle the browned chicken pieces evenly over the sauce.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes, until you start to see bubbles forming around the edges.*
Remove the dish from the oven and top the pasta with the remaining ¼ c of Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.
Return the dish to the oven and bake, uncovered, 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crumbs are golden.
Remove the dish from the oven. Tent it loosely with aluminum foil and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

*To make ahead: Cover the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate up to 24 hours. When you are ready to bake the pasta (roughly 1 hour before you would like to eat), place the covered dish from the fridge into the oven as it preheats to 400?F. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, until the edges are bubbly. Continue with the recipe as directed above.

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