You’ll enjoy this Chicken Pasta Casserole, with rotini pasta, zucchini, onions, red bell peppers, Parmesan and mozzarella, in a creamy sauce!
I don’t know about you, but we enjoy a tasty casserole every now and then. Casseroles seem to have a little bit of everything in them, feed a crowd, and the leftovers are great the next day! THAT’S a win-win, in my book. This chicken pasta casserole (which is also easy to make) is no exception to that theory. Years ago I made a few changes to the original recipe, and have been happy with the results.
Filled with chicken breast, veggies, curly rotini pasta, spices and two kinds of cheese, it practically has all the food groups represented (except for fruit or dessert, wink wink!). I found my handwritten recipe on an index card in a very old recipe box.
I made this casserole several times many years ago (at least 15), and had written “GREAT” on the recipe, so I decided to cook it again, photograph the process, and share it here on my blog. Here’s how to make this delicious casserole:
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Prepare The Pasta
Cook rotini pasta (or rotelle) according to the package directions in boiling, salted water. Once the pasta is fully cooked, drain the pasta, and then set it aside. TIP: Make the sauce for the casserole while the pasta is cooking, to save time!
Make The Sauce For The Chicken Pasta Casserole
To make the sauce, first melt butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add chopped onions, red bell peppers, and sliced zucchini halves to the skillet. Sauté the veggies just until they become crisp/tender (approx. 3-4 minutes). Stir in flour until it’s combined with the veggies.
Cook The Sauce Until Thickened
Now add milk, chicken broth, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and basil to the skillet. Stir to combine all ingredients. Continue cooking, stirring often, on medium heat until the mixture has thickened and is bubbly. Once thickened, add 2 Tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese, and stir again, to combine.
Stir in the cooked pasta and the chicken. Make sure to get everything covered with the sauce. Now you’re ready to put it all in a greased casserole dish, and bake!
Bake The Chicken Pasta Casserole
Spread the casserole mixture into a greased 3 quart casserole dish evenly. Sprinkle the top of the pasta with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, followed by the grated mozzarella cheese.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil, and bake, in a preheated 400°F. oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the foil, and continue baking for 15 additional minutes. It’s done when the cheese has melted and the casserole is fully heated through.
That’s it! Once it comes out of the oven, the chicken pasta casserole is ready to serve, and eat! You can add additional Parmesan cheese to the top as a garnish (if desired), but it really isn’t necessary. This dish is really quite tasty, fresh from the old oven!
I truly hope you enjoy this delicious casserole. You can store leftovers covered in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days. Reheat in a microwave for a quick lunch the next day!
Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you come back soon for more family-friendly recipes! Have a wonderful day.
Looking For More CASSEROLE Recipes?
You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few delicious casserole recipes, including:
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Original recipe source: unknown
You'll enjoy this Chicken Pasta Casserole, with rotini pasta, zucchini, onions, red bell peppers, Parmesan and mozzarella, in a creamy sauce!
- 8 ounces rotini pasta , cooked and drained
- 1 cup yellow onion , chopped
- 1 large zucchini , sliced, then slices cut in half
- ½ cup red bell pepper , seeded and chopped
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- ½ cup lowfat milk
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste *See note
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese , divided
- 2 cups cooked chicken breasts ,cut in bite-sized pieces
- ⅓ cup grated mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 400°F. Cook pasta according to package directions. Once done, drain pasta; set aside. TIP: Make the sauce for the casserole while pasta cooks, to save time!
Melt butter in large skillet. Add onions, red peppers, and zucchini. Sauté veggies until crisp/tender (approx. 3-4 minutes). Stir in flour.
Add milk, chicken broth, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and basil to skillet. Stir to combine. Continue cooking on medium heat, stirring often, until mixture thickens and is bubbly. Add half (2 Tbsp.) of grated Parmesan cheese, and stir again. Stir in cooked pasta and chicken until ingredients are coated with sauce.
Grease a 3 qt. baking dish with non-stick baking spray. Spread casserole evenly in dish. Sprinkle pasta with remaining 2 Tbsp. of Parmesan cheese, followed by grated mozzarella. Cover dish with aluminum foil, and bake in a preheated 400°F. oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the foil, and continue baking for 15 additional minutes. When done, serve, and enjoy!
NOTE: You can substitute spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce if you do not have access to tomato paste, but increase amount needed to 1.5 Tablespoons.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!
This was a fantastic recipe. However, I had to chuckle when I looked retrospectively at the “15 minute” prep time shown. In reality, it’s over 1 hour for prep by the time you cook and cut up the chicken, chop all the vegetables, cook the veggies and pasta, make the sauce, etc. MAYBE 15 minutes if all ingredients are prepped, measured out, and ready to go in advance. Again though….this was an awesome meal. Just plan on it being a little complicated and taking some time to make.