Chicken Pesto Alfredo Pasta
This baked chicken pesto alfredo freezer meal has chicken, pesto, bacon, cheese, fresh spinach and tomatoes all mixed together in a delicious white sauce.
Servings: 6
Calories: 918kcal
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.
MAKE IT A FREEZER MEAL
- Before baking cover with foil, label and freeze. Thaw, remove foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Notes
If you are in a rush, use rotisserie chicken and leftover bacon to make this recipe.
Portion into smaller dishes and freeze before cooking for extra meals.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 918kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 1165mg | Potassium: 700mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2142IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 411mg | Iron: 3mg