Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Baked Pasta
on Oct 30, 2024
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Shredded chicken, frozen veggies, and pasta are combined and topped with a creamy homemade sauce and shredded mozzarella then baked to perfection. This creamy vegetable chicken bake is full of flavor, warm, and comforting!
Sometimes all you need is a simple, easy, and cozy dish to make for dinner. And this creamy vegetable chicken bake is the perfect choice! I love that this recipe is easy to follow, and takes less than an hour to get on the table. You’ll only need a few ingredients to make the savory, creamy sauce that pairs wonderfully with the chicken, veggies, and pasta.
The cheesy mozzarella top layer completes the dish and brings everything together. This recipe can also be modified to use whatever you have on hand, so it is also a great way to use up any leftovers! This is an easy and delicious bake that your whole family is sure to enjoy.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This simple dish can be prepared, baked, and ready to eat in less than an hour.
- It is filled with nutritious ingredients that keep you satisfied and full.
- The bake is creamy, comforting, and will warm you up on a cold day.
Recipe Ingredients
- Pasta—We typically use penne, but any shape will work.
- Chicken Stock—To add a savory flavor and nutrients to your sauce.
- Chicken—Cooked and shredded. A great way to use up leftovers!
- Frozen Vegetables—Any variety will taste great. For extra flavor and crunch.
- Mozzarella—Shredded. To create a gooey, cheesy layer on top of the bake!
- Butter—To bring out the flavor of the onion and garlic as they cook.
- Onion—For a strong, rich flavor to the sauce.
- Flour—To help create the rich and creamy sauce.
- Minced Garlic—To add a strong, bold flavor to bring the dish together.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Creamy Vegetable Chicken Bake
Step #1. Grease a baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven. Boil a pot of water and cook your pasta. When the pasta is almost done, add the frozen vegetables. Drain the pasta and vegetables once the pasta is done. Return the empty pot to the stove and add the butter and onion.
Step #2. Add the garlic and the flour. Stir to combine. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until thickened. Remove from heat.
Step #3. Add the pasta and veggies to the prepared dish followed by the chopped chicken. Pour the sauce evenly over the dish. Sprinkle the top with mozzarella.
Step #4. Place the dish in the oven and bake until the cheese melts. Remove from the oven and allow the pasta to cool.
Recipe FAQs
There are many different kinds of pasta you can use for this recipe! When it comes to the shape, I would suggest sticking to a pasta that is short cut such as rotini, penne, rigatoni, or elbow pasta. The smaller shape not only holds up well when cooked in the casserole, but it also carries the sauce nicely, giving you a delicious creamy taste with each bite. We typically use whole wheat pasta, but use whatever you prefer!
Yes. In some recipes the sauce will help cook the chicken along with the other ingredients, but for this recipe you will need to have it cooked first. The assembled dish will only bake for about 20 minutes, which will not be enough time to cook the chicken all the way through. You can either cook and shred the chicken specifically for this recipe, or use leftovers if you have them! Rotisserie chicken is a great option if you are looking to save some time.
Nope! You will not need to thaw the vegetables beforehand because the purpose of adding them to the cooking pasta is to thaw them, not cook them. Once they go in the oven, then they will cook. Adding the veggies to the pot will also prevent any excess moisture in your dish because they will get drained afterward. It does not work very well if you place the frozen veggies into the dish when the other ingredients are hot, because they will release extra moisture and not cook as well!
How to Serve and Store Creamy Vegetable Chicken Bake
This delicious bake is the perfect all-in-one dish! But, you can still add a simple side dish or two to elevate your meal. Since the veggie chicken bake is creamy and rich, you can serve it with a light Caesar salad with dressing, chopped fruit, or dinner rolls.
Store any leftovers of the vegetable chicken bake in the fridge. Once cooled, transfer the food to an airtight container and keep for up to 4 days. To reheat, you can place a serving in the microwave for 45 second intervals until warm throughout.
Expert Tips
- If you want to speed up prep time, you can start making your sauce in a separate pan as the pasta is cooking! It will add an extra dish but get your dinner ready in less time.
- To enhance the flavors of the sauce, feel free to add salt and pepper to your liking!
- It is important to allow the dish to rest for about 5 minutes after baking so that everything can set, then you can easily cut and serve without it falling apart!
- This dish is easily modified as you can use any kind of meat, veggies, cheese or pasta that you have on hand.
More Pasta Recipes To Consider
Pasta Dishes
Easy Slow Cooker Vegetable Lasagna
Pasta Dishes
Pumpkin Alfredo
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Pasta Fagioli Soup Recipe
From Scratch Recipes
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
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Quick and Easy Chicken and Vegetable Baked Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 package pasta, about a pound
- 2-4 cups frozen vegetable, Normandy Blend
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic, the minced kind in the jar
- 1 carton chicken stock, 1 quart
- 2 cup shredded cooked chicken
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Get a pot of water boiling for your pasta. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- When the water is boiling cook your pasta al’dente. This is normally about 2 minutes less than the package says for me. When the pasta has about a minute left, add the frozen vegetables to the water. When the pasta is cooked al dente drain the pasta and the vegetables. Let these hang out in your colander for a minute.
- Return the now-empty pot back to the stove and add the butter and onion. Over medium heat, cook the onion in the butter until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and the flour. Stir to combine and let the mixture cook for about a minute. Slowly whisk in one carton of chicken stock. Bring the mixture up to a slow boil, stirring very often. Once the mixture starts to bubble cook for 1-2 minutes until it thickens. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the pasta and veggies to the prepared dish. Add the chopped chicken on top of the pasta. Pour the sauce evenly over the dish. Sprinkle the top with the mozzarella. Place the dish in the oven and bake until the cheese melts and the sauce begins to bubble around the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the pasta rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Do you put the cold uncooked chicken just in the pan to bake or cook chicken first ? Help ! Haha
The chicken should be cooked before it goes into the pan to be baked!
Can I use fresh vegetables rather than frozen? Would steamed brocoli work?
Thank you.
yes that’ll work great! I would steam the broccoli or carrots first, something like zucchini or peppers would probably cook fine in the oven.
I used chicken broth instead of stock. I like the casserole with the exception of that aspect. Wish it would be even cheesier.
A great way to get my family to eat veggies they normally don’t. Loved it and it is a new family favorite!
This is really good. My family loved it. I used half Italian blend cheese and half cheddar bc it’s what I had already. I also added one can of cream corn and salad shrimp which I put in with the vegetables as added to the noodles for one minute. Thank you. Not sure how to post a photo but I have one.
I love that you made this your own! That’s the beauty of this recipe, it’s super versatile and you can use what you like or have on hand. Thanks for the review! You can put pictures on Instagram or Facebook and tag me!
I forgot I needed to make this! Thank goodness for your weekly recipe posts to remind me 🙂 if I only have fresh broccoli and carrots on hand, do I cook them a bit (or all the way?) before adding them to the dish? I’m sure I can figure it out but wanted to see if you had an opinion!
Made this for dinner tonight, and everyone loved it! I forgot to add the salt and pepper, but that’s easy enough to put on at the end. It’s not often that I come across a recipe where no one complains, so thank you!
Hi! This looks wonderful and very family friendly! I have a recipe question… we are Gluten Free, I have pasta that I can use, no problem. But the 1/2 cup flour… think it could be replaced with corn starch and still be okay?
Thanks!
I’d use a gluten free flour blend or half that amount in corn starch (you only need half the amount of corn starch as you do flour, so you’d use 1/4 cup corn starch in place of the flour). I think both of those options would work great. You are going to love this dish!