This Easy Chicken Pasta Bake is a freezer meal made with lots of veggies and a creamy rose sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Rigatoni pasta – any type of tubular pasta can work, such as penne or ziti.
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil such as avocado oil or vegetable oil.
- Chicken breasts – use a different type of meat like ground turkey or beef; to make this recipe vegetarian, use diced potatoes or veggies.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic, garlic powder or garlic flakes will work in a pinch.
- Red onion – substitute for white onions, yellow onions or shallots instead.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Red chili flakes – chili powder, cayenne, paprika or chipotle powder would also help add a bit of kick to this dish. Leave this out altogether if you don’t like spice.
- Marinara sauce – use any kind of homemade or store-bought marinara sauce.
- Sour cream – Greek yogurt or smooth cottage cheese are the best substitutes. Use dairy-free Greek yogurt for a dairy-free option.
- Red peppers – swap out for another colour bell pepper or even a poblano or cubanelle pepper.
- Spinach – Swiss chard, kale or another leafy green would be good in this pasta bake.
- Mozzarella cheese – I like using fresh mozzarella but provolone cheese, mild white cheddar, ricotta, gouda or feta would all be delicious. You can also leave out the cheese or use vegan cheese.
- Fresh basil leaves – fresh oregano or dried basil would also work.
How to make chicken pasta bake
Step 1: Cook the pasta.
Cook the pasta until al dente, then drain and set aside.
Step 2: Brown the chicken.
Cook the chicken until lightly browned, then sauté the onions and garlic.
Step 3: Make the sauce.
Add the marinara, sour cream, salt and pepper, and chili flakes to the pan. Bring to a boil, then stir in the spinach and red pepper.
Step 4: Add everything to a pan.
Toss the pasta in the sauce, then add to a greased baking dish.
Step 5: Top with mozzarella and bake.
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top then bake in the oven.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Garnish with fresh basil and serve or store for later.
Variations of this pasta bake
Try out different variations of this chicken pasta bake and customize it to your preferences:
- Vegetarian: Leave out the chicken to make this pasta bake vegetarian.
- Meat: Swap out the chicken for different meats like bacon, Italian sausage or ground beef. You could also cut down on prep time by making it with leftover chicken.
- Sauce: Instead of marinara sauce, try making it with jarred alfredo sauce, Bolognese sauce or even pesto sauce.
- Dairy-Free: You can leave out the sour cream and mozzarella if you want to make this pasta bake dairy-free, or use your favourite dairy-free alternatives.
- Veggies: Add in different vegetable toppings like broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, poblano peppers and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
For this chicken pasta bake, I used rigatoni, but you can use another tubular pasta of your choice. Penne, ziti, riccioli or rochetti are all great options. Tubular pasta and pasta with ridges are the best choice for pasta freezer meals because they won't get soggy like thin noodles would and they're thick enough to hold all the yummy chicken, sauce and veggies.
Yes, you’ll need to cook the pasta first until its almost al dente for this chicken pasta bake. You don’t want to cook the pasta all the way because it will end up cooking more when you bake it in the oven. Cooking it for 6-8 minutes should do the trick.
For this recipe, I used a jarred marinara sauce combined with sour cream to make a yummy and creamy rose sauce, but you can try making this pasta bake with any sauce variety of your choice like alfredo, Bolognese or pesto.
This chicken pasta bake would be delicious with the classics like Caesar salad, garlic bread or dinner rolls.
After cooking this pasta bake, you can freeze individual portion sizes or the full thing for up to 3 months in airtight glass containers or foil containers.
Storing and reheating
This chicken pasta bake is great for meal prep and will last in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. After it’s completely cooled, place it into an airtight glass container. When you’re ready to reheat, sprinkle some water over top to keep the pasta from drying out then microwave it for 2-3 minutes until hot. Add some fresh cheese and basil leaves then dig in!
Freezing this recipe
This recipe freezes beautifully for up to 3 months – it’s one of my favourite freezer meals! Freezer pasta meals are super easy to make ahead of time and store in the freezer for those busy weeknights.
I like to buy foil containers from the dollar store and freeze individual portion sizes in them. That way, you can reheat them right in the oven for 20 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit. You could also freeze this chicken pasta bake in glass meal prep bowls. While I recommend reheating in the oven, you can use the microwave if you’re in a pinch.
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- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on packing this Chicken Pasta Bake in the freezer and defrosting in the microwave.
- Or these aluminum foil containers are perfect for re-heating straight from the freezer to oven.
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Easy Chicken Pasta Bake {Freezer Meal}
Ingredients
- 1 (450g) box rigatoni pasta (or 1lb)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 lb medium-sized chicken breasts, diced into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium sized red onion, sliced
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 (650mL) jar marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 2 cups spinach, chopped
- 1 (453g) log fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
- 10 fresh basil leaves (or chopped basil as a garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Cook pasta to just before al dente, about 6-8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over med-high heat. Add chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned. Add onions and garlic, sauteeing another 1-2 minutes or so until fragrant. Add in marinara sauce, sour cream, salt and pepper and chili flakes, then bring just to a boil, stirring well.
- Stir in red pepper and spinach, and then toss pasta in sauce mixture and remove from heat. Add pasta to a large greased 9×13 dish and then top with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted and starts to brown.
- Remove from oven, garnish with basil leaves then serve and enjoy! You can freeze individual portions up to 3 months. To reheat, defrost in the microwave for 6-7 minutes or reheat in a 350 F oven for 20-30 minutes.
Comments & Reviews
Theresa says
Love this recipe. Every ingredient marries well. Fresh basil just tops it off. I will be making this again.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy it’s a favourite of yours!
Keri says
I ended up buying a pan to freeze this in, would I need to defrost it and then reheat in the oven or put it straight in the oven from the freezer?
Taylor Stinson says
If it’s a foil pan you’re fine to just put it straight in the oven! It just may take quite a while to cook (maybe an hour at 350F). You could also defrost in the fridge overnight for a shorter reheat time.
Keri says
I want to make this ahead of time to freeze for postpartum, can I freeze it in freezer bags or does it need to be in a pan? If I were to use ground turkey instead would a pound be enough?
Taylor Stinson says
Yes 1 lb ground turkey would be enough and you could freeze individual portions in freezer bags if you’d prefer. I like foil or glass containers because they’re sturdier and you can reheat right from freezer to oven/microwave this way but freezer bags are a smart way to save space. Congrats btw!