This Chicken Parmesan Casserole gives you the taste of a favorite Italian dish in an easy pasta bake recipe!
Warm, satisfying dinners like this chicken parmesan casserole are my favorite way to end the day. I love to be safe and sound at home in the evenings and would almost always take that over going out! This weekend our friends offered to watch our boys for a couple hours so we could have some kid-free time. At first it was going to be for an early dinner, but then we realized that didn’t really want to go to dinner at 6:00 and then come home and do the bustle of the bedtime routine. We are used to eating pretty late, and once I’ve had dinner I’m ready to relax!
We moved the time a little earlier and went to the mall instead. We wandered around and didn’t buy anything, and then we ended our afternoon date with a quick Trader Joe’s run. Yes, I’m serious! We are party animals. Call me crazy, but I would rather go wander around a mall kid free and then come home and relax with an easy dinner like a tasty casserole. This dish is the perfect way to get the flavor of classic chicken parmesan with a lot less effort.
This pseudo chicken parm makes a lot of food. It could easily feed a family of six, but if you have a smaller family then it makes great leftovers. My boys love getting warm leftover pasta in their lunches since they are sort of burned out on sandwiches, and I love having a an easy lunch to heat and eat too.
The next time you want an easy family dinner or a fun (at home) date-night meal, you won’t be disappointed with this warm, cheesy casserole.
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 35 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 14 ounces box of bite-sized pasta like penne or rotini
- 1 sweet onion diced
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced or crushed
- 28 ounces jar marinara sauce
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cut into 1" cubes
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Ingredients
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- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13" baking dish with cooking spray.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, and drain.
- While pasta cooks, spray a 12" skillet or dutch oven with cooking spray, and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion, chicken, salt, a few grinds of pepper, and garlic. Saute until onion is tender and chicken is cooked through. Stir in marinara sauce, and bring to a simmer.
- Meanwhile, heat butter in a glass bowl in the microwave until melted. Stir bread crumbs and basil into the melted butter, and set aside.
- Turn off heat on the sauce. Stir in cooked pasta and mozzarella cubes, and transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle buttery bread crumbs over the pasta, and sprinkle parmesan cheese over that.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
Find more dinner recipes you’d like to try right here!
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JoAnn says
Can you use rotisserie chicken ( cut up) instead of ground? This looks absolutely wonderful. Thanks!
Callie says
Its recipes like this that make me so excited to open your emails!!
Andi Gleeson says
Oh, thank you!! ♥‿♥
Allison A says
Thanks so much for this gem of a recipe, Andi! My toddler has been rejecting all homemade pasta dishes until we tried this one! It’s also been a challenge getting him to eat chicken and meat, and he ate this like a pro. :) Very appreciative!
Allison A.
Andi Gleeson says
I’m so happy to hear it, Allison! It’s so hard to get kids to eat sometimes. I still struggle, and my boys are out of the toddler stage! Hope you had a good weekend :)
BeckyB says
I made this dish this last week, in an effort to try your ” most ignored recipes”. It was SO fast and easy and also VERY yummy! I couldn’t believe how fast this went. My husband want it on a permanent rotation! Another hit Andi! Thanks!
Andi says
Thanks for showing this neglected casserole some love, Becky :) I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you!
Jennifer says
You have a knack for these one-dish dinners. This one is super, it was so easy to do. The whole family loved it. Thanks!
Andi says
Thank you so much, Jennifer! I am so happy to hear that you guys liked it! :)
Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic says
I love that this has all the flavors of chicken parm, but a lot less work!
Andi says
Thanks, Bianca!
Norma| allspice and nutmeg says
We are the same way, dinner and then home to watch a movie or food network. We live in the wild side. :)
Andi says
We’re all party animals around here. We were like this even before we had kids. It’s how I convinced my husband to have a baby – it’s not like we will lose our exciting nightlife! ;)
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
HAHA me and my hubs are the same. A “Crazy” date night is going out for dinner. Usually we make dinner and watch food network all night. We’re pretty cool for being in out 20’s. I need this easy dinner…I LOVE leftovers because then I don’t have to make lunches for my hubby! ;) Pinned!
Andi says
Thank you, Taylor! We were already like this in our 20s too! We did go out to dinner more before kids, but we were there early with the senior citizens ;)
Jen @ Yummy Healthy Easy says
LOVE THIS Andi!! I am all about huge dinners that will have leftovers for lunch the next day! And we are serious party animals, too. Nothing better than a date night at TJ’s or Walmart, lol!! Pinned!
Andi says
Thank you, Jen! I was thinking of you for the family of six thing :) Matt and I actually have so much fun if we go to random stores together. The mall is usually boring, but we have had some good times at Hobby Lobby or Big Lots when there happened to be one near wherever we had dinner ;) #partylife