Simple, nutritious, delicious—this Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake has it all! It should be called ALLfredo...
Chicken alfredo pasta bake
This healthier chicken alfredo pasta bake is the BEST. It’s creamy, easy to make, and totally delicious. It’s more nutritious than standard pasta bakes, with 39 g of protein and less than 400 calories per serving.
On top of that, it’s quick and easy to make. This will be your new favorite dinner recipe!
Why chicken aldredo?
Let’s be real, chicken alfredo is SO good. In an effort to create a lightened up version of chicken alfredo, I present to you this healthy chicken alfredo pasta bake!
It's got all the delicious flavors of regular chicken alfredo but is family-friendly, nutritious, and ready in 30 minutes.
What ingredients do I need?
- Chicken - Adding shredded chicken into the pasta will give off total chicken alfredo vibes (let’s be real, we love those vibes). Plus it will add quite a bit of protein! There are a few options for how to get shredded chicken. You can buy a cooked rotisserie chicken and shred it, cook chicken breasts and shred them, or use canned shredded chicken. Each of these options will work great!
- Banza penne pasta - The recipe calls for 8 oz (one box) of Banza pasta. Really you can use any kind of protein or regular pasta that you want!
- Alfredo sauce - The alfredo sauce is KEY for this recipe. You can use any kind of alfredo sauce you like best to create a creamy, cheesy pasta bake.
- Parmesan - Adding some shredded parmesan to melt as the pasta cooks will create an extra cheesy pasta bake (which we want!)
- Spinach - We will mix in some spinach for some leafy greens! You could leave this out and the recipe would still turn out great.
- Red pepper flakes - Sprinkling red pepper flakes on the top of the casserole is totally optional, but will really add the perfect extra kick!
Can I make substitutions to the recipe?
- Chicken – I use canned chicken because it’s it’s easier, quicker, and cheaper. However, if you have some leftover chicken breast you can shred yourself or want to use a rotisserie chicken, you can totally use those options instead!
- Cheese – Adding more cheese will make this better. I like to add alfredo and parmesan, but you can use only one of them or another favorite to make this cheesier.
- Pasta - This recipe can be made with any kind of pasta.
- Spinach - If spinach isn't your thing, you can opt out.
What equipment do I need for the recipe?
The only equipment you’ll need for this recipe is an oven and a casserole dish. A 9 x 13 dish will work great!
What is the process?
This pasta bake is so quick and easy! Here’s how to make it:
- Prepare the chicken (with salt and pepper) and pasta.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the pasta, shredded chicken, ½ the parmesan, and alfredo sauce. Stir until chicken and pasta are coated. Toss in spinach to mix.
- Pour the pasta mixture into the casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly across the top of the pasta.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- After cooking, top with red pepper flakes.
- Enjoy!
How do I store it?
This buffalo chicken pasta bake is so tasty right when it comes out of the oven! If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container. Keep it in the fridge and use between 4-5 days.
Can I reheat it?
You can reheat this pasta bake in the microwave or oven.
- For the microwave: Cook 2-3 minutes.
- For the oven: Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.
I like to add some extra cheese when I’m reheating this dish.
Looking for more recipes?
Here are some more family-friendly casseroles:
Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake
Equipment
- casserole dish
- oven
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken cooked & shredded
- 8 oz Banza penne pasta, cooked or other protein pasta
- 1 cup alfredo sauce
- ¾ cup parmesan shredded
- 2 cups spinach
- Optional: red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken (with salt and pepper) and pasta. (Cook both!)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the pasta, shredded chicken, ½ the parmesan, and alfredo sauce. Stir until chicken and pasta are coated. Toss in spinach to mix.
- Pour the pasta mixture into the casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly across the top of the pasta.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- After cooking, top with red pepper flakes.
- Enjoy!
Kendra says
I never get tired of this recipe. I love how much protein I get in each serving!
Catherine says
I love Jordo's pasta bakes, and they are perfect for meal prep as they make great leftovers. I add even more spinach than the recipe calls for because I love it!
Jordan Smith says
I love adding extra greens with this recipe, too! And sometimes I serve over a bed of fresh greens. Enjoy!
Bailey German says
This recipe is a new favorite of mine!it’s one of the easiest things I’ve made and tastes so good. Makes great leftovers too.
Jasmyn says
I love this meal. So tasty and those macros!!
Brandi says
So with your calorie total, wouldnt that change, based on what alfredo sauce I use?
Sorry, we calorie count, and your recipes seem amazing as I have been stuck with low calorie dinners. So I just want to make sure that when you give a number for the calories, I adjust where needed.
Jordan Smith says
Hi Brandi, yes, it will change depending on the sauce you use! I used a standard alfredo sauce for this recipe so it'll likely be close if you choose a generic sauce. But if you want the calories to be exact, you'll likely need to create another entry in whatever meal tracking app you use, with the specific ingredients for this recipe.
Margot says
Very easy and delicious! I’ll add a little more spinach next time for my own taste but so good! Really appreciated the note about reserving some pasta water as it helped create the perfect sauce with the barilla protein pasta
Kelly says
My whole family ate this and everyone loved it - win win! The only thing I substituted was asparagus for the spinach because I have some picky eaters. Easy and quick - perfect!
Danielle Dush says
Easy and delicious! I made this to take to work and my family was drooling over it. I plan to make again this week for them.
Kristy says
Just made this for lunches! While it was good, it’s extremely dry! I ended up using the entire jar of Classico alfredo and it was still much too dry. It tasted exactly like what it is: chicken and noodles mashed together. I love this concept of the bake so I think next time I will just use 2 jars and it will be great!
Jordan Smith says
Hi Kristy, so sorry this recipe didn't turn out how you expected. Adding extra alfredo sauce is a great way to make the recipe creamier as you desire. Hope you enjoy it in the future!
Nicole Cobe says
First recipe I have tried and it’s of Jordos. It was delicious. My husband loved it. I loved it. I found her blog and her Instagram my accident one day looking for macro friendly recipes for meal prep. This then lead me down a rabbit hole of ready anything and everything about hers. So many recipes and meal plans you can use. Love it and looking forward to using many of her recipes in upcoming meal plans. Love that they are high protein and lower carb. ❤️
Stephanie says
Can't believe I waited so long to make this recipe. It was an easy weeknight dinner. My husband told me I better make it again.
Jennifer Callaway says
This is a great chicken Alfredo alternative. I love it. Getting hungry again just looking at it and thinking back…