Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake

Submitted by IngridH

"This recipe was born out of my need to use up some things from my freezer- chopped chicken meat and homemade basil pesto. It's easy, tasty, and can be made ahead. If you want to make a one dish meal out of this, toss in a 10 ounce bag of thawed frozen vegetables. I used homemade stock as well, but canned will work fine."

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photo by mary winecoff

Ready In:: 35mins
Ingredients:: 11
Serves:: 6

ingredients

12 ounces penne pasta, other similar sized shapes work too
³⁄₄ lb chicken (cooked)
4 tablespoons pesto sauce (homemade or bottled)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
3 cups chicken stock
1 chicken bouillon cube
salt
pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¹⁄₂ cup parmesan cheese, grated

directions

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta to just short of al dente.
Drain the pasta, and place in a large mixing bowl.
Add the chopped chicken and pesto to the bowl, and stir to coat.
If adding vegetables, add them to the bowl now.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the flour, and whisk to form a roux.
Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Slowly whisk the stock into the roux.
Bring to a boil, and contiue to whisk until the sauce is slightly thickened.
Crumble the boullion cube, and add to the sauce.
Stir in the lemon juice.
Taste the sauce for seasoning, and add salt or pepper as needed.
Add the sauce to the chicken and pasta mixture.
Stir to combine well, then place the mixture in the prebared baking dish.
Top with the grated cheese.
If making ahead, cover at this point and chill until needed.
Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the top is golden. If made ahead, the baking time may need to be increased.

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Reviews

I made this with mezza penne and it was great. I love the sauce....it wasn't a cream sauce and that was nice. Made for ZWT7.

mary winecoff
What a lovely combination of flavors. The pesto mixed with the noodles and chicken were a bit hit! I also really liked the thickened sauce. This recipe was brimming with flavor. I didn't add extra veggies this time, but will in the future. It would be such an easy one-dish meal! Thank you. :)

LifeIsGood

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

IngridH

I live near Seattle, WA with my husband of 11 years and our pet ferrets. We're lucky enough to own a home with a big, south facing yard which is great for entertaining. It also allows me to have a big vegetable garden where I grow most of my own herbs and a lot of the vegetables we eat in the summer, as well as a bunch to share with family and friends. In my professional life, I'm an accountant- but what I really love to do is cook and eat! Most of my ability is self-taught. I love to experiment with new recipes and techniques, most of which I get from watching way too much food tv and reading foodie magazines. Recently I decided to start a personal chef business and have cooked for a few clients. I love the challenge of designing a menu to fit a family's specific tastes and needs, and then cooking it for them to enjoy. For me, cooking is an expression of love. Everyone needs to eat, but food is more than just fuel for the body, it can nurture and comfort ~ give us a memory from childhood, or a retreat when we feel ill. I always think of the people who I'm cooking for when I make a dish, and there is no better compliment than when someone enjoys the food I've made especially for them. I also like to do OAMC- style cooking, but instead of using it mainly to get dinner on the table, I focus on getting lunch in the bag! Eating out is far too expensive in both dollars and nutrition to make a habit of, yet I want a hot, satisfying meal to enjoy in the middle of the day. Cookin ahead allows me to have great food, without sacrificing either my dollars or my waistline. <img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/ZaarNicksMom/Animation6.gif"><img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/ZaarNicksMom/PACsticker-Adopted.jpg"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/participantbannerzwt5.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/MrsTeny/Permanent%20Collection/PACSpring09Participation.jpg"><img src="http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/MrsTeny/Permanent%20Collection/PACSpring09Iwasadopted.jpg"><img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/PACfall08partic.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/IWasAdoptedfall08.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/MrsTeny/AMpageSticker.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r317/j_welcome/pics2/food/PRMRcopy.jpg"><img src="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj81/HokiesLady65/Recipezaar%20Album/iplaytagin.jpg">[IMG] http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e95/momaphet/Food/banner10.jpg[/IMG]

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