Chicken Pesto Tortellini Bake
Creamy Chicken Pesto Tortellini Bake– A simple zesty baked pesto chicken pasta with cheese tortellini, fresh spinach, and peppers.
Baked Pesto Tortellini Recipe
This cheesy Chicken Pesto Tortellini Bake is easy to make and feeds a crowd!
Last week a friend asked me if it was too late in the year to cook pasta.
“What do you mean?” I questioned her.
“You know… Like, do I have to stop eating pasta in the late spring and summer because it’s out of season?”
If you’ve ever wondered about serving pasta in the summer, let me reassure you, pasta is a forever-food.
You may stop eating pumpkin baked goods after fall. Or you may choose to skip simmering soups in the summertime, but there’s never a wrong time to enjoy pasta.
Pasta is delicious in every season, served cold or hot, with just about any combination of ingredients.
In fact, even if you are a questionable cook, I bet you can make a decent pasta dish. Have you noticed, as long as you don’t cook your noodles to mush, or over-salt the pasta, it usually turns out?
Strange, but true.
Today’s recipe is not just a decent pasta dish; it’s amazing. And it’s not just for fall and winter; it’s a recipe for every season.
This Chicken Pesto Tortellini Bake is made with refrigerated (or frozen) cheese tortellini mixed with chicken breast, fresh baby spinach, bell peppers, onions, cheese, and a creamy pesto sauce.
That’s right, the chicken is baked right along with the pasta!
Ingredients You Need
- Cheese Tortellini – refrigerated or frozen and thawed
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts – chopped into 1-inch cubes
- Butter
- Red Bell Pepper – seeded and chopped
- Red Onion – peeled and chopped
- Basil Pesto or Homemade Pesto
- Fresh Baby Spinach
- Chicken Broth
- Heavy Cream
- Shredded Fontina Cheese
- Shaved Parmesan Cheese
- Salt and Pepper
How To Make Chicken Pesto Tortellini Bake
- Preheat the oven and place the butter in a medium-sized skillet and set on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Then stir in the chopped red pepper and sauté another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Pour the tortellini in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Place the chopped (raw) chicken, fresh spinach, and sautéed onions and peppers in the dish. Toss to mix evenly and spread out in the pan.
- Mix the pesto, chicken broth, heavy cream, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper in a bowl or measuring pitcher. Whisk well, then pour the mixture over the tortellini.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then gently stir the pasta to make sure the tortellini on top is covered in sauce.
- Sprinkle the top with both cheeses and bake, uncovered, for another 15-20 minutes. Serve warm.
Get the Complete Pesto Tortellini Bake Recipe with Measurements and Tips Below. Enjoy!
Tortellini Pasta Cooking Tips
Whisk fresh-made or jarred pesto with cream and chicken broth into a thin baking sauce. Once poured over the pasta, the sauce thickens as the pasta absorbs the moisture as it bakes.
You can add all the ingredients to the baking dish raw, for a true one-pan dinner. However, I feel you get a better flavor and texture out of the onions and bell peppers if you sauté them in butter for a couple of minutes first.
When the Chicken Pesto Tortellini Bake is halfway through cooking, sprinkle the top with fontina and parmesan cheese for a decadent molten finish!
This all-season Chicken Pesto Tortellini feeds a large group.
Serve it this weekend with a light summery salad and a bottle, or two, of white wine. It’s an easy dinner your friends will rave about!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you store the leftovers in an airtight container, they will last in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
This dish can easily be halved and baked in an 8 or 9-inch square pan for a smaller batch.
Yes, you can definitely assemble and freeze this recipe. If frozen, it will need to bake 45 minutes covered, plus another 20-25 minutes uncovered.
No, the chicken can go in the pan raw since it will bake all through when it is in the oven!
More Pasta Dishes
- Grilled Chicken Rasta Pasta
- The Best Classic Macaroni Salad
- Skinny Pasta Primavera
- Perfect Clam Pasta
- One-Pot Chicken Pasta with Light Basil Cream
- Thai Chicken Noodle Bowls
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta (One-Pot!)
- Italian Summer Pasta Salad
- Gemelli Pasta
- Hawaiian Style Potato Macaroni Salad
- Tuna Pasta Salad with Olives and Capers
Chicken Pesto Tortellini Bake Recipe
Ingredients
- 40 ounces cheese tortellini, refrigerated or frozen and thawed
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into 1 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 red onion, peeled and chopped
- 6 ounces basil pesto or homemade pesto
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups shredded fontina cheese
- 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the butter in a medium-sized skillet and set on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Then stir in the chopped red pepper and sauté another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Pour the tortellini in a large 3-quart (9×13-inch) baking dish. Place the chopped chicken, fresh spinach, and sautéed onions and peppers in the dish. Toss to mix evenly and spread out in the pan.
- Mix the pesto, chicken broth, heavy cream, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper in a bowl or measuring pitcher. Whisk well, then pour the mixture over the tortellini.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then gently stir the pasta to make sure the tortellini on top is covered in sauce. Sprinkle the top with both cheeses and bake, uncovered, for another 15-20 minutes. Serve warm.
Very tasty recipe, insanely easy to make! First time using fontina cheese and it was a real hit with my picky eaters ;)
Excellent! Easy! Flavorful!
My very picky husband loves this dish. It was very easy to assemble, with minimal effort. I did use a rotisserie chicken instead—quickly pulling and shredding it, instead of cooking and cutting raw chicken. We will certainly it be repeating this recipe!
This was fantastic! I made only a few changes, I substituted the red onion with a white one and used leftover chicken breasts. It was a hit with the whole family. I will be making this again and soon :o)
I love a good tortellini pasta dish, and this makes it super easy to make a quick and easy dinner as well!
what about freezing this dish? Like if you halve it, and freeze the second half for another meal?
Hi Rhonda!
Yes, you can definitely assemble and freeze this dish. If frozen, the recipe will need to bake 45 minutes covered, plus another 20-25 minutes uncovered.
So good!
Is the chicken cooked before putting it in the casserole?
No, it will cook through in the oven. :)
If I make this but split between 2 8-inch pans, can I freeze one just the way it is? And what would the cooking time be for an 8 inch pan?
Hi Caitlin,
Absolutely; spilt away! And it should cook for the same amount of time. Let me know what you think! :)
Pasta is out of season in the summer?! Step away from people like that. — you don’t need that negativity in your life…LOL!