Chicken Pesto Rotini Bake
A creamy pesto casserole brightened by tomatoes and summer squash.
Equipment
- 1 9 x 13 in casserole dish
- tin foil
Ingredients
- 1 box rotini pasta (16 oz)
- 2 cups chicken, shredded *See recipe notes
- 1 zucchini squash
- 1 yellow squash
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- ¾ cup pesto
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Prep Work
- Preheat the oven to 350 ℉. Fill a large pot with enough water to cook the whole box of pasta and start heating it on high heat.
- Dice the tomatoes, zucchini, and yellow squash into small, bite size pieces, placing the cut zucchini and squash in a bowl separate from the tomatoes.
Cook
- Once the water is boiling, cook the pasta according to box instructions.
- While the pasta is boiling, make the pesto ranch sauce by combining 1 cup of ranch dressing with ¾ cup of pesto in a bowl or liquid measuring cup.
- Just before the pasta is finished boiling (about a minute or two if you set timers), dump the squash into the water to cook the contents slightly.
- Once the pasta is finished cooking, pour the contents of the pot into a colander. Then, once the water has drained, put your pasta and squash back in the pot.
- Quickly add the tomatoes, shredded chicken, pesto ranch sauce, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese to the pot. Stir until the contents are well mixed so the sauce and vegetables are evenly distributed.
Bake
- Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 in baking dish and top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 15 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.
Notes
- I usually just use a can of chicken of whatever size that I have on hand.
- If you do not love all the squash, the recipe can also be done with broccoli florets instead of yellow squash.
- I tend to top the casserole with more than just 1 cup of cheese because I really love cheese. If 1 cup seems a little stingy, definitely sprinkle more!
