Pesto Chicken Penne Casserole Recipe

This was a very simple and tasty dish. I only made two small changes. I halved the pesto because the pesto at my store comes in 7oz containers and most people said they halved it anyway. I also used diced tomatoes, but that's only because I grabbed the wrong can and didn't notice until I had already poured it in the bowl. I don't know what it tastes like with all 15oz of pesto and crushed tomatoes but it was just fine with only 7oz of pesto and diced tomatoes. Also, this dish was very big. I had to pour it into a 9x13 casserole dish AND an 8x10 casserole dish. I had a party with 10 people and the 8x10 went untouched and there was about 1 serving left in the 9x13. If you're making this for a family of 4 or 5 you will definitely want to halve the recipe. I didn't give it five stars because it didn't "Wow Me!". It was very good and I'll definitely make it again!

This is a comfort food casserole; not fine dining entree. Based on the ingredients list and a couple of other reviews, I was afraid that the flavors would be cacophonous rather than harmonious. I'm pleased to say that didn't turn out to be the case. The alfredo, pesto, and crushed tomatoes combine to make a homey sauce for the chicken and noodles, the spinach adds a nice vegetable, and the generous crumb/parmesan topping completes the texture to it all. Like other reviewers, I used the common 8oz jar of pesto rather than the 15oz jar called for in the recipe. (I'm not sure I've ever seen a jar of pesto sauce that large in a grocery store.) As I combined the ingredients, I became concerned that they might not fit in the 9x13 glass baking pan, but it all did fit, although bulging above the top. This recipe makes a huge quantity; you're either going to a large potluck, or having leftovers for days.

I made the recipe with shrimp instead of chicken and added some fresh basil in addition to the jar of pesto. Put in twice the amount of spinach because it cooks down so much. It was very tasty.

AMAZING FOUNDATION. I HAVE BEEN MAKING THIS FOR YEARS. Tweaks: Halved the recipe. Halved the pesto again. Diced tomatoes + 1/4 cup tomato sauce instead of crushed. Browned chicken with cajun seasoning. Added veg: 4 oz browned mushrooms, 1/2 caramelized onion, 1 red bell pepper. Added seasonings: tsp paprika, pinch chili powder, pinch red pepper flakes, pinch cayenne, tsp Italian seasoning, tsp dried basil. Serve with bread slices and sugar snap peas or roasted vegetables.

Everyone at home loved it.

This was good. For those of you that are not big pesto fans I would recommend reducing the amount of pesto. That being said... fresh homemade pesto is totally different than store bought pesto. If using fresh I would go with the full amount... store bought only about 6 oz or less depending on how much you like pesto. normally I would make fresh pesto...but since this was a weeknight dinner I used store bought. I also used diced canned tomatoes instead of crushed. 6 cups of chicken is way to much in my opinion... but that all depends on personal preference... I like more pasta than chicken. I used 3 cups chicken and that was plenty for us. I also added some fresh sautéed mushrooms because I had some I needed to use and added some chopped onion to the mushrooms while cooking. A great dish that can be tweaked to your taste... I will make again... it made lots... so looking forward to leftovers.

The taste is great, don't get me wrong. But it needs some adjustments. I cut the cheese and pesto both by a third which worked out pretty well, but if you're not a huge fan of pesto you may want to cut that back even further as others have suggested. The bread crumbs mixture is WAY too much for me, next time I'd cut it in half at least, maybe even a bit more. Otherwise I followed the recipe as written. Liked it and will make it again with these tweaks, thanks to the recipe creator for the ideas. Also there's no way in a million years this is gonna fit in a 9x13 baking dish. I used my huge Dutch oven and it was still hard to mix and over 2/3rds full when I put it in the oven.

It was great! I think I would have baked it longer than 45 minutes, to add more of a crunch top layer. I also used gluten free penne pasta from Whole foods (boiled it for 5 min., then baked). AND, Gluten free cheese and Garlic croutons for crunch top later. Came out great!!! I also used a 6 oz. of basil pesto, then 7 oz. of tomato pesto. Added MORE spinach, and a cup more of CHICKEN cubes. Hubby loved it too!!!

Very good flavor. I changed a few things and if I make again will change a couple more. First, I halved the recipe. Half is plenty for 4-6 people. I halved it but added 2 cups spinach and wish I’d have added more. I made my own Alfredo sauce (cream, butter and cheese... so simple). Do not use half of the pesto. I used 1/4 and it was perfect. Also, I added no milk... I thought it was wet enough when I put it into the oven. Lastly, the next time I make it I will put mozzarella and Parmesan on top instead of the bread crumb/Parm topping. I found that it make the texture a bit gritty. And lastly, next time I make it I will also put in mushrooms and maybe another vege.

My family enjoyed this one. All the kids and hubby asked for seconds. I made a few adjustments which is why I removed one star. The amount of pesto is too high. I used almost 2 lbs of pasta and still didn't use 15 oz of pesto. I did not double all the sauces or the cheese and it still came out perfect. If I had made as is, there would have been too much liquid. So if you want to use this recipe for big batch cooking, just make sure you taste everything as you go to adjust for your family. Also, I baked mine at 400F for 30 minutes and it was perfectly golden brown & bubbly.

This was a great base recipe! I did adjust some based on what I had on hand and child preferences. I halved the recipe and used half a box of whole wheat farfalle pasta, shredded cheddar cheese (what I had on hand), a 6 oz jar of pesto and homemade alfredo sauce. I skipped the topping, tomatoes and milk. I stuck it in the oven for about 15 minutes since everything was already cooked and it came out great. Even my picky kid loved it!

I gave this 5 stars because as a single person I like finding easy and tasty casserole recipes that I can freeze and use for meal prep. I used a lemon pepper rotisserie chicken, it wasn't 6 cups but it was plenty. I don't like tomatoes so I only used about half of what was called for. I like pesto but I'm not crazy about it so I only used a out 4oz of the 6oz jar. I mixed it all and thankfully it all fit in my deep 9x13 casserole dish. I made double the breadcrumb mixture because I really love a good crunch. It turned out great! Very flavorful and went great with a heel of garlic bread. I'll definitely make it again.

This was great. I used a different pasta and I filled up 3 8x8 casserole dishes. I used the called for amount of pesto(Costco sells a 22 oz jar and its very good) and I would recommend that...so much flavor. Would make again, just need to make sure I have room in my freezer. Update: froze and reheated very well. Will make again. Love having easy dinners to pull out of the freezer during the week.

I followed the recipe exactly and it was so delicious! My husband loved it.

Average. Made it as directed. Good meal, but nothing special. Family liked it, but didn't LOVE it!

Quick prep, big payoff.

This is an expensive recipe. Strike one Way too many very strong, overwhelming flavours. Strike two Spinach turns to "snot". Strike three Try using half of the pesto called for. Use two cups of italian blend cheese and two cups of mild jack cheese. Use half of the Alfredo sauce. Use small broccoli florets or asparagus broken into small pieces. Not spinach. Butter both sides of three or four slices of nice whole grain bread and cut into 1 cm cubes. Toss with the Parmesan and throw that on for a topping.

Followed suggestions to half the pesto- this was so quick with a leftover roast chicken... not to mention tasty with pan roasted broccolini! Thanks!

Bro, my life is officially upgraded.

Everyone at home loved it.