This delicious ground chicken casserole is easy to make and ready in just over 40 minutes. It contains pasta, vegetables and a very moderate amount of cheese so it’s low in fat and nutritious.
See also ground chicken meatballs in leek sauce!
This ground chicken casserole with pasta is a one-pot meal that’s hearty, filling, brimming with flavour and nutritious ingredients. It’s a fantastic way of using ground chicken which has so much to offer yet is not nearly as popular as chicken breast. You will love my easy method of infusing the meat with flavour!
Ground chicken casserole ingredients and substitutions
- Ground chicken: see details below.
- Pasta: I recommend either fusilli or penne.
- Vegetables.
- Tomatoes: a combination of canned tomatoes, tomato puree and sundried tomatoes.
- Stock: Vegetable or chicken.
- Herbs: Italian seasoning, mixed herbs or another Mediterranean style herb mixture.
- Soy sauce.
- Balsamic vinegar.
- Oil.
- Seasoning.
- Cheese: use parmesan, Grana Padano, Parmigiano Reggiano or another Italian hard cheese.
Can I use white meat instead of dark
I do not recommend it. Chicken breast (i.e., white meat) works better in recipes where the meat is cooked quickly (if cooked too long chicken breast becomes dry and chewy). In this ground chicken and pasta casserole the meat is browned first and then cooked inside the casserole so it’s best to use leg meat (i.e., dark meat) which has a little more fat and stays tender when cooked longer.
Good to know
Dark chicken meat is a good source of protein and contains more iron and zinc than white meat. It's also perfect for chicken meatballs!
How to add flavour to ground chicken
This is easily achieved by cooking the chicken along with other ingredients before adding into the casserole. This turns the meat into a deliciously savoury ingredient and adds flavour to the final dish.
(I also made this casserole without precooking the chicken and the result was not as good).
Equipment you’ll need
Theoretically you can cook the entire ground chicken casserole in 1 dish (with the exception of the pasta which needs to be precooked). However, I wanted to make sure the meat won’t stick to the bottom of the dish. That’s why I used a separate non-stick pan for browning the ground chicken and a casserole dish (suitable for all heat sources) to cook the rest of the ingredients and the casserole itself.
If you do not have a large casserole dish that’s suitable for all heat sources you can prepare the ingredients in the same non-stick pan and then transfer everything into your oven dish.
To do this first brown the chicken, transfer to a bowl, then in the same pan cook the vegetables. Lastly place all the ingredients in your casserole dish, stir thoroughly, season with pepper, scatter over the cheese, drizzle with oil and bake!
Step-by-step recipe instructions
1.Preheat the oven to 375 F/ 190 C/ 180 C fan/gas mark 5.
Add the pasta to a pot of boiling water, stir, bring to the boil then cook for 4 minutes (the pasta should only be partly cooked). Remove from the heat, pour into a strainer and set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. To a non-stick pan add 1 tablespoon of oil, heat up then add the ground chicken and cook over a fairy high heat until it starts releasing juices (break up the larger pieces as the chicken cooks). Add the soy sauce and onion granules, season with pepper and continue cooking until the juices disappear and the chicken is lightly browned, stirring all the time. Remove from the heat.
3. Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil, add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and broccoli, stir and cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes stirring often.
4. Add half of the stock, cover and simmer for 3 minutes (the vegetables should still be quite firm). Remove from the heat.
5. Assemble the recipe. Add the rest of the stock, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, sun dried tomatoes, paprika, dried herbs, balsamic vinegar, pasta, chicken and plenty of pepper. Stir thoroughly.
6. Scatter the grated cheese over the top, drizzle with a little oil (about 1 tbsp) and bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and serve!
How to serve ground chicken pasta bake
You can serve this dish on its own, with steamed vegetables or crispy salad. Also delicious with grilled vegetables, such as zucchini, eggplant or peppers, and a garnish of fresh herbs (either parsley or basil work well).
What can be prepared ahead
- The chicken: you can brown the chicken as per Instructions, cool, cover and refrigerate overnight.
- The pasta: precook the pasta, strain, cool completely, then transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Top tip
I do not recommend assembling the entire casserole ahead as the pasta will absorb a lot of the moisture and become soggy. This is also why I do not recommend freezing this dish.
Top tips
- I recommend using dark chicken meat (thigh/drumstick) which contains a small amount of fat (white meat is too lean and does not work as well in this type of recipe).
- Because the recipe contains stock as well as soy sauce you should not need to add any salt but be generous with pepper.
- If using canned tomatoes with added ingredients, such as herbs or garlic, lower the proportions of these ingredients in the recipe (if applicable).
- To save time start preparing the dish as you are waiting for the pasta to cook.
- Adjust the amount of cheese to your taste.
- Bake this casserole as soon as you’ve assembled it.
- For best results serve immediately. Refrigerate your healthy ground chicken casserole leftovers covered for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: you may want to add a drop of water to loosen the consistency when reheating the leftovers.
- Not suitable for freezing.
Related recipes
- Chicken Tomato Pasta Bake
- Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake
- Chicken Fajitas Casserole (Low Fat)
- Easy Meatball Pasta Bake
Check out also these other healthy meal ideas including easy chicken recipes!
Recipe
Ground Chicken Pasta Casserole
Ingredients
- 1.1 pounds (500 g) ground chicken leg meat, approx. 5% fat
- 3 cups (240 g) raw fusilli pasta 8.47oz
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot peeled, diced
- 2 cups (120 g) broccoli florets cut into small pieces, 4.23 oz
- 1x14.11oz can (400 g) chopped tomatoes
- 4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 2 teaspoons dried herbs Italian or mixed herbs
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion granules
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1⅓ cups (320 ml) chicken/vegetable stock hot
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus a little for drizzling
- 5 tablespoons parmesan or another hard Italian cheese, coarsely grated
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F/ 190 C/ 180 C fan/gas mark 5.Add the pasta to a pot of boiling water, stir, bring to the boil then cook for 4 minutes (the pasta should only be partly cooked). Remove from the heat, pour into a strainer and set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Prepare the ground chicken. To a non-stick pan add 1 tablespoon of oil, heat up then add the ground chicken and cook over a fairy high heat until it starts releasing juices (break up the larger pieces as the chicken cooks). Add the soy sauce and onion granules, season with pepper and continue cooking until the juices disappear and the chicken is lightly browned, stirring all the time. Remove from the heat.
- Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil, add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and broccoli, stir and cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes stirring often.
- Add half of the stock, cover and simmer for 3 minutes (the vegetables should still be quite firm). Remove from the heat.
- Assemble the recipe. Add the rest of the stock, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, sun dried tomatoes, paprika, dried herbs, balsamic vinegar, pasta, chicken and plenty of pepper. Stir thoroughly.
- Scatter the grated cheese over the top, drizzle with a little oil (about 1 tbsp) and bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve!
Notes
- I recommend using dark chicken meat (thigh/drumstick) which contains a small amount of fat (white meat is too lean and does not work as well in this type of recipe).
- Because the recipe contains stock as well as soy sauce you should not need to add any salt but be generous with pepper.
- If using canned tomatoes with added ingredients, such as herbs or garlic, lower the proportions of these ingredients in the recipe (if applicable).
- To save time start preparing the dish as you are waiting for the pasta to cook.
- Adjust the amount of cheese to your taste.
- Bake this casserole as soon as you’ve assembled it.
- For best results serve immediately. Refrigerate your ground chicken casserole leftovers covered for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: you may want to add a drop of water to loosen the consistency when reheating the leftovers.
- Not suitable for freezing (the pasta would absorb too much moisture as it cools and may become soggy).
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
Keep in touch!
If you make this ground chicken pasta casserole recipe I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks:)
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