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Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake Meal Prep

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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Calories: 570kcal
Servings: 5 People
Metric - Imperial

Ingredients

  • 800 g Chicken Breast Diced
  • 15 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 3 Garlic Cloves Minced
  • 1 Brown (Yellow) Onion Diced
  • 300 g Penne or Rigatoni
  • 70 g Basil Pesto
  • 250 ml Chicken Stock
  • 125 g High Protein Yogurt
  • 150 g High Protein Cottage Cheese
  • 60 g Mozzarella Cheese
  • Parmesan Cheese Grated
  • Lemon
  • Seasoning & Pepper

Method

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta one minute shy of al dente. Drain well and set aside.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and sear for 3–4 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • In the same pan, add the onion and cook for 2 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
  • Pour in the chicken stock and simmer for 2 minutes to lift any flavour from the pan.
  • Take the pan off the heat, then whisk in the Greek yogurt and cottage cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the lemon juice and season to taste.
  • Stir through the pesto off the heat so it stays bright and vibrant.
  • Add the cooked pasta and chicken, tossing everything together until well coated in the sauce.
  • Transfer to a baking dish or divide into 5 oven safe meal prep containers, top with mozzarella and parmesan, and bake at 200°C / 400°F for 15–20 minutes, or until golden and bubbling on top. Portion, store, serve and dig in.
Chef's Tips
Whisk the yogurt and cottage cheese into the pan off the heat, as written — these protein-based ingredients are prone to splitting or going grainy if they hit direct heat, so building the sauce off the stove is what keeps it smooth.
Stir the pesto through off the heat too. Basil turns dull and can go slightly bitter with prolonged heat, and keeping it off direct heat is what preserves that bright, fresh flavour on top of the dish.
Check the bake at the 15-minute mark rather than defaulting to 20 — the chicken and pasta are already cooked by this point, so the bake is really just melting and browning the cheese topping, and pushing it too long risks drying out the sauce underneath.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months, in an airtight container — baked pasta dishes like this generally hold up well frozen.
Reheat in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for 15–20 minutes to bring the cheese topping back to golden and bubbling, or in the microwave for 2–3 minutes if you're short on time. Thaw frozen portions in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Serving 500gCalories 570kcalCarbohydrates 53gProtein 60gFat 14gSaturated Fat 3.3gPolyunsaturated Fat 2.2gMonounsaturated Fat 5.6gCholesterol 129mgSodium 607.5mgPotassium 1015.7mgFiber 6.1gSugar 6.2gVitamin A 4240IUVitamin C 2.94mgCalcium 306.3mgIron 3.1mg