Name: Pesto Chicken Penne Casserole
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 3 cups cooked penne pasta (I've been known to swap fusilli in when the pantry's bare—works fine); 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced (leftover rotisserie chicken? Even better); 1 cup pesto (I make my own if I’m feeling perky, but jarred is 100% ok—my grandmother always swore by the refrigerated kind, but shelf-stable's fine in a pinch); 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (sometimes I do half mozzarella, half provolone for extra gooey-ness); ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (totally optional, but I like the little bursts of juiciness); ½ cup cream or half-and-half (milk works if you must—I’ve even used oat milk once for a dairy-avoiding guest and it wasn't half bad); ¼ teaspoon black pepper; ¼ teaspoon salt (or more, to taste—just don’t go wild if your pesto’s salty already); 2 tablespoons olive oil—just for greasing

I Always Come Back to this Pesto Chicken Penne Casserole

Look, I'm not saying I eat pasta every night... but if you peeked in my kitchen on a random Tuesday, you'd probably spot me tossing together some version of this Pesto Chicken Penne Casserole. It started as a "what-do-I-do-with-this-leftover-rotisserie-chicken?" situation, but it somehow became a dinner my family actually asks for—like, enthusiastically. Not that I'm complaining, mind. Even my brother-in-law (the one who claims he "doesn’t like green sauce") polishes off a second serving.

Anyway—let me walk you through this comfort food favorite. There was that one time I tried to make it with spaghetti, don’t do that. (All the chicken just slipped right off!)

Why You'll End Up Loving This Too

I tend to make this on nights when the weather's decided to be grumpy and everyone wants something cozy, but I'm low on patience (and time). Also, my kids go a bit bananas for anything with cheese melted on top. Sometimes, I just crave that punchy basil pesto taste, you know? (The aroma alone could sell me.) Occasionally the penne sticks together but, honestly, after it's all baked, no one notices. Plus, if you use store-bought pesto on a weeknight, no judgement—I've done it myself, usually while apologizing to my Italian ancestors.

Stuff You'll Need (aka The Ingredient List)

3 cups cooked penne pasta (I've been known to swap fusilli in when the pantry's bare—works fine)
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced (leftover rotisserie chicken? Even better)
1 cup pesto (I make my own if I’m feeling perky, but jarred is 100% ok—my grandmother always swore by the refrigerated kind, but shelf-stable's fine in a pinch)
1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (sometimes I do half mozzarella, half provolone for extra gooey-ness)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (totally optional, but I like the little bursts of juiciness)
½ cup cream or half-and-half (milk works if you must—I’ve even used oat milk once for a dairy-avoiding guest and it wasn't half bad)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt (or more, to taste—just don’t go wild if your pesto’s salty already)
2 tablespoons olive oil—just for greasing

What You Do (Instructions... but kinda casual)

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Oil up a medium casserole dish (glass, ceramic, whatever—once I even used that old roasting pan, totally fine).
While the oven heats, mix cooked penne, chicken, pesto, half the mozzarella, half the parmesan, tomatoes, and cream into a big bowl. Sort of swoosh it around until it’s mostly combined. At this point, I always sneak a forkful. For science.
Add salt and pepper. Actually, I taste here to make sure I'm not about to salt-bomb dinner. If your pesto’s super salty, maybe skip the extra salt?
Dump the whole bowl into the casserole dish and spread it out. It never looks glamorous here, but trust me, after it bakes, no one cares what it looked like raw.
Scatter the remaining mozzarella and all of the parmesan on top. I usually add a bit more cheese (I mean, who's counting?).
Pop in the oven and bake for around 20-25 minutes, or until the top’s bubbly and maybe starting to color a little. If you're into crispy cheese bits, go the full 25 minutes. Or longer—it’s hard to mess up.
Let it cool for 5–10 minutes before you try to dish it up. (I inevitably burn my mouth at this step. Every time!)

Things I’ve Noticed Along the Way

If you overcook the pasta, it can get kinda mushy. Not a disaster, but aim for just under al dente because it cooks more in the oven.
Forgot to oil the dish once. It mostly came out okay, but the corners stuck something fierce (more for me to nibble?)
Toss in a handful of spinach if you want to feel virtuous. It wilts right in.

I’ve Experimented With These Variations

Bacon bits on top—super tasty.
Sun-dried tomatoes swapped for cherry ones: extra punchy.
Used vegan cheese once, but, uh, no one in my crew rushed for seconds. Maybe there’s a better brand out there?
I tried with brown rice pasta. Texture was fine but the flavor got a bit lost. Won’t be my go-to but not terrible.

What You Might Need (But Not Always)

Casserole dish, obviously. But honestly, any ovenproof thing big enough works—I've done it in a deep pie plate when nothing else was clean.
Mixing bowl and spoon. Or just toss things back into the pasta pot if you hate doing dishes.
Cheese grater. But I won't judge if you grab pre-shredded (I do half the time).

How to Store It (If You Have Leftovers!)

Pop leftovers (if you have em) in a covered container and refrigerate. It'll keep about 3 days—in theory. In my house, leftovers have a way of disappearing at midnight; maybe it’s elves? Or my teenager, who can say.

How We Like to Serve This

I love it with a messy pile of arugula salad and some buttered garlic bread. Occasionally, we eat it right out of the baking dish after a late soccer practice—don’t tell anyone.

Four Pro Tips (Mostly Learned the Hard Way)

Don’t overheat the cream before mixing—it sometimes separates and makes little weird bits (yep, been there).
Resist the urge to dump in more pesto last minute. I always think “more is more,” but too much just overwhelms everything else—lesson learned.
Let it sit after baking, as tempting as it looks. If you slice in too soon, it falls apart, not that this has ever actually stopped me.
Try not to multi-task too much—one time I answered the door and overbaked it; the cheese was practically armor. Still tasty though!

Some Questions I’ve Actually Been Asked (Really!)

Can I use a different pasta?: Sure, but short shapes (fusilli, rigatoni) work best—spaghetti is just wrong here, trust me on that one.
Do I need to cook the chicken first?: Yes—raw chicken won’t cook through in time. Leftovers, rotisserie, grilled—just make sure it’s cooked.
Is homemade pesto worth it?: If you have basil exploading in your garden, go for it. Otherwise, store-bought saves a lot of time and doesn’t make much difference here.
Can I freeze this?: It freezes okay, but the cream gets a bit odd after thawing. Honestly, I’d just eat it fresh or fridge it for a day or two.

Oh, if you make it and it ends up looking kinda wonky—don’t stress. Some of my best casseroles came out wonky but tasted amazing. Besides, a sprinkle of parmesan covers a multitude of sins, doesn’t it?

Pesto Chicken Penne Casserole