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Top down view of ground chicken casserole in large round dish with spoon.
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Ground Chicken Pasta Casserole

This delicious ground chicken casserole is easy to make and ready in just over 40 minutes.
Course Dinner
Cuisine Mediterranean fusion
Prep Time 22 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes
Servings 5 servings
Calories 411kcal
Author Monika Dabrowski

Ingredients

  • 1.1 pounds ground chicken leg meat, approx. 5% fat
  • 3 cups 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 broccoli florets cut into small pieces, 4.23 oz
  • 1x14.11oz can 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 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
US Customary - Metric

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

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 734mg | Potassium: 1060mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2908IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 4mg