Today I am sharing another freezer meal.
It is that time of year after all.
My Baked Chicken Pesto Alfredo Freezer Meal is one that really doesn’t get old. Plus it’s all real food baby! Nothing processed. The flavors of this Italian dish mesh so well together and even though there are some “fancier” ingredients (says my kids) even my pickiest of eaters will eat it. This baked chicken pesto alfredo has chicken, pesto, bacon, cheese, fresh spinach and some tomatoes all mixed together in a delicious white sauce. This pasta is da bomb! That’s right I said “da bomb” and I meant it. I think I will take it even further and say that my baked chicken pesto alfredo freezer meal is da bomb diggity! Here is how you can make this awesome freezer meal.
Baked Chicken Pesto Alfredo Freezer Meal
First you will make a simple white sauce. I add a little shredded chicken to mine, but that is totally optional. Set white sauce aside.
Cook up 1 box of penne pasta and drain.
In a large mixing bowl add pasta, white sauce and cooked chicken. Mix well.
Add cheese, fresh spinach, can of crushed tomatoes, basil pesto, milk and bacon. Stir until well combined.
Pour pasta into a 9×13 casserole dish.
In a separate bowl mix Italian bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, remaining bacon and olive oil.
Sprinkle this mixture over the pasta.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
Oh my…
I find myself making grunting sounds with my mouth agape. Yes, I look like a zombie. Meeeee hungryyyy.
Seriously this stuff is heavenly. Go make some!
Freezer Meal Directions: Before baking cover with foil, label and freeze. Thaw, remove foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Check out my 50 freezer meals in a day post to learn about my favorite way to make freezer meals.
Baked Chicken Pesto Alfredo Freezer Meal
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 16 oz penne pasta - cooked al dente and drained
- 4 cups cooked chicken cubed
- 4 cups shredded Italian cheese blend 16 ounces
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3 tbsp basil pesto
- 3/4 cup crispy bacon- finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Make a simple white sauce by melting butter in a pan over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour over melted butter and whisk constantly for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Then add in chicken broth and whisk quickly together. Cook over heat until it’s thick and bubbles up. Set white sauce aside.
- Cook penne pasta according to package directions. Drain noodles and then dump them into a large mixing bowl.
- Add in white sauce, cooked chicken, cheese, spinach, crushed tomatoes, milk, pesto and 1/2 cup of the bacon. Mix well.
- Pour pasta into a 9x13 baking dish.
- In a separate bowl mix together parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, remaining bacon and olive oil.
- Cover pasta with bread crumb mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
- Freezer Meal Directions: Before baking cover with foil, label and freeze. Thaw, remove foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Nutrition
OTHER YUMMY CHICKEN FREEZER MEAL RECIPES:
- Seriously Easy Chicken Pot Pie
- Cheesy Chicken Crunch & Italian Brussel Sprouts Bake
- Spicy Honey Drumsticks
- Easy Make Ahead Orange Chicken
- Chicken Piccata
- Baked Tandoori Chicken
- Adobo Chicken with Pineapple
- Best Chicken Wing Recipe
- Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa
It was OK. Takes a lot of steps and time to put together. Would help if you had some leftover bacon or cooked chicken, ready to use. I was starting fresh with every ingredient, and it took forever.
At mixing steps, all ingredients would not fit into one bowl, even my largest stainless steel one. Had to split ingredients between two bowls, hoping somewhat equivalent, then add both into baking pan. It all fit into 9×13, but such a dense dish, we 4 will be eating this for weeks. Teen boy who eats everything in sight said “meh”.
Last thing, 4 cups is waaay too much cheese. I stopped after adding 2 cups and it was more than plenty, almost too much.
Can this be cooked in a crock pot instead of the oven? If so, what would the cook time be?
No, I wouldn’t recommend cooking in a slow cooker. But if you do try it and it does indeed work, come back and let me know!
Wondering at what point in the recipe you add the milk and the Italian cheese. Thank you.
with the spinach and everything.
This recipe is a real winner. Everyone I have served it to asks for the recipe. I was so impressed I went out and bought your book. Thank you for sharing.
This recipe is a keeper. I only had frozen spinach so I thawed it befor adding. I also added some left over asparagus. It was great. I used a 9 x 13 pan but didn’t want to overfill it so I had enough extra for an 8×8 to put in the freezer.
This is my all time favorite! I make it regularly as a freezer meal for my family. I’ve made it a few times for new mamas and I think everyone has come back and asked for the recipe!
Have you ever separated it into smaller sizes to freeze? I am going to make this for my friend who just had a baby but it would just be for her and her hubby to eat so I didn’t want to make it a full pan.
Yes I do this all the time! The baking times might be a little bit less, but not much. Just start watching it 15 minutes before time listed and you’ll be fine.
Really delicious recipe! My whole family loved it. My husband is not a fan of breadcrumbs so I just put Parmesan on top. I had enough for a 9×13 to eat and an 8×8 to freeze. I’ll definitely be making again!
Can you bake this from it’s frozen state, or do you have to thaw it out first?
You can bake it from frozen state, just cover it for the first 45 mins or so then take off foil and finish baking until it’s all cooked through and bubbling throughout. I’m thinking 45-55 minutes, but just watch it closely.
Hello there This looks so good. How long does it last in the freezer for?
Hi! I’d suggest using up this freezer meal within 4 months!
Could you use frozen spinach?
Yes you can! But you’d use a lot less frozen spinach since it’s condensed down in frozen state.
A lot of work but delicious! I found the recipe to make enough for at least 12 people. It made enough for an 8×11 dish to eat and an 8 x 8 to freeze. I just doubled the topping. I was impressed by the flavor and my family loved it!
This is probably a ‘newbie’ question but can you please clarify whether the “16 ounces” of pasta is a dry (uncooked) measure or whether I should cook it and THEN weigh it?
Thank you in advance!!! Great recipe collection, Karrie. So very helpful for busy moms and dads!
Looks like the recipe says cooked al dente and drained (Hope I am not steering you in the wrong direction.
The “16 oz. penne pasta” is dry pasta. You cook it in step 2 of the instructions. She was just clarifying that you don’t overcook it, by cooking it el dente. I believe it is always uncooked pasta as measured in dry ounces because that’s how it is sold in packages in stores.
Was so excited to try this. In fact, doubled the recipe to give to friends. Gotta say…wasn’t overwhelmed. I found it to be a bit bland. Added a ton of garlic, would double the sauce next time. Just so so to my husband & I. Might sub Italian sausage instead of chicken if I made it a second time.
How do you cook the chicken for this meal? Stove top?