Lemon Chicken Spaghetti Bake
Lemon chicken spaghetti bake is a creamy, flavorful baked pasta dish you and your family will love. Bursting with flavors from a mix of Alfredo, pesto sauce and lemon juice, this Italian inspired casserole is one to make on repeat!
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We are all about pasta night in our house.
Instead of having spaghetti and meatballs all the time, I love to throw some variety into the mix with different flavor combinations.
This lemon chicken spaghetti bake combines lemon chicken chicken and creamy, cheesy baked spaghetti all in one super easy to make dish.
You can put it together in just a few minutes of active prep so it’s perfect for any night of the week and it’s perfect for feeding a crowd.
Ingredients
To make this you need a handful of basic ingredients:
- Pasta– We use spaghetti for it but you could substitute almost any other pasta. I would avoid angel hair though since it is so thin.
- Chicken– Make it easy on yourself and used shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Alfredo sauce– Use your favorite brand of prepared sauce.
- Pesto– Go for basil pesto over another variety for this.
- Lemon juice– Fresh lemon juice tastes the best, but you could use bottled lemon juice too.
- Sun dried tomatoes– You could skip this if you prefer but they do add lots of sweet flavor. Chop them up.
- Cheese– Three different kinds of cheese make this so indulgent. You’ll need ricotta, shredded Parmesan romano and shredded mozzarella.
- Oregano– Dried oregano finishes everything off.
How to Make
Making this lemon chicken pasta bake is a snap!
To do it, start by breaking the noodles in half and cooking them in boiling salted water until al dente.
When the noodles are done, transfer the cooked pasta to a waiting colander in the sink and run it under cool water to stop the cooking process.
While the pasta cooks, make the sauce by whisking together the Alfredo sauce, pesto, sun dried tomatoes together until combined. Set it aside.
Now, make the first layer.
To do that, add half of the cooked and drained spaghetti to the bottom of and 8×8 baking dish and spread it out evenly.
Add half of the sauce on top.
Next add a layer of shredded chicken.
Then spread half of the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan romano on top.
Finish by adding dollops of ricotta cheese and spreading it out as best you can with the back of a spoon.
Once you’ve made the first layer, repeat all of the layers except for the ricotta cheese.
Finish by sprinkling oregano over top of the casserole.
Then, bake the casserole in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until the cheese has begun to brown.
Storing leftovers
Leftovers of the baked chicken spaghetti casserole will keep for 2 to 3 days in the fridge.
To store, cover the leftovers tightly with foil.
Reheat in a 300 degree oven until warmed through.
Tips and tricks
- This recipe doubles very well. To double it, use a larger pan and feel free to add more than 2 layers.
- Looking for a low carb option? Sub zucchini noodles for the spaghetti or use spaghetti squash.
- Not a fan of sun dried tomatoes? You could substitute roasted red peppers or just skip them all together.
Other Baked Pasta Casseroles
This lemon chicken spaghetti bake is a family favorite.
Make it once, and your family will definitely beg you to add it to your rotation.
Looking for other baked pasta casseroles?
Try these:
- Baked Spaghetti Pie with Pepperoni
- Three Cheese Chicken & Rotini Pasta Casserole
- Monterey Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
- Two Timin’ Pasta
- Spicy Sausage & Pasta Casserole
- Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole
- Cheesy Mexican Chicken Spaghetti
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Lemon Chicken Spaghetti Bake
Ingredients
- 8 oz spaghetti noodles
- 1 15 oz jar alfredo sauce
- 2 1/2 tbsp basil pesto
- 3-3 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp sundried tomatoes chopped
- 8 oz ricotta cheese
- 2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
- 6 oz Parmesan romano cheese shredded
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Break the noodles in half. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in the pasta, and cook until al dente. Carefully transfer the cooked spaghetti to a waiting colander in the sink, and run it under cool water to stop it from cooking. Set aside.
- While the pasta cooks, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Start by making the sauce. Add the alfredo, pesto, tomatoes, and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and whisk together until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Add half of the cooked/drained spaghetti to the bottom of an 8x8" baking dish. Spread the pasta out evenly in the dish.
- Pour half of the prepared sauce evenly out over top of the pasta, spreading out as needed. Next, add half the chicken in an even layer.
- Spread half of the romano and mozzarella cheese evenly out over the chicken and pasta in an even layer.
- Add the ricotta in dollops on top of the cheese, and using the back of a spoon gently spread it out as much as possible.
- Repeat all of the layers, EXCEPT for the ricotta.
- Sprinkle the dried oregano evenly out overtop of the casserole.
- Bake the casserole at 350° for 40 minutes, or until bubbly and the cheese has begun to brown.
Nutrition
recipe adapted from Quiche My Grits
This post may contain affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full Disclosure Policy for details. As always, all opinions are my own.
