Chicken pasta bake
A comforting, calorie-rich bake you can prep ahead: pasta, chicken and tomato sauce topped with cheese — great to cover several bulking meals.
Nutrition values per serving, computed from the ingredients.
Ingredients
- check_circle300 g whole-wheat pasta
- check_circle400 g chicken breast
- check_circle400 g crushed tomatoes
- check_circle80 g grated mozzarella
- check_circle1 onion
- check_circle2 cloves garlic
- check_circle14 g olive oil
- check_circleOregano, salt, pepper
Method
- 1Cook the pasta al dente and drain.
- 2Sauté the onion, garlic and diced chicken in the oil.
- 3Add the crushed tomatoes and oregano, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- 4Toss the pasta with the sauce, tip into a dish and cover with mozzarella.
- 5Bake at 200 °C for 15 minutes until golden on top.
The family bake, protein version
This chicken pasta bake is a comforting family dish, perfectly calibrated for training: 39 g of protein, 68 g of carbs and 12 g of fat for 514 kcal per serving. For four, it is made in one dish, shared and reheated: ideal to cook once and eat for several days.
Light for a bake
A bake can quickly become a calorie bomb (cream, lots of cheese). Here, the tomato sauce and chicken breast dominate, with just enough mozzarella for the golden top: only 12 g of fat. To lighten it further, reduce the mozzarella; for bulking, add cheese or serve bigger portions.
Assembling and baking it
Cook the pasta al dente (it finishes cooking in the oven), make a well-seasoned chicken tomato sauce (onion, garlic, oregano), mix, top with mozzarella and bake until the top is golden. It is a forgiving dish: ideal for batch cooking, it freezes in portions and reheats in the oven or microwave.
Loading the bake with vegetables
The bake is an excellent vehicle for eating vegetables effortlessly. Add zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, spinach or broccoli to the tomato sauce: they melt into the cooking, grow the plate's volume and bring fibre and micronutrients for very few calories. Perfect for filling you up more without weighing the dish down.
These vegetables also improve the nutritional balance of a pasta-and-cheese dish, adding fibre that smooths blood sugar and prolongs satiety. They are especially useful for getting children or reluctant eaters to enjoy vegetables: buried in the sauce and baked, they go down easily. The same bake becomes more complete without changing the recipe.
What to pair it with
To vary protein-rich baked pasta dishes, these recipes follow the same logic.
Key takeaways
- 39 g protein for 514 kcal: a balanced, filling family bake.
- Tomato sauce + chicken + little mozzarella = light for a bake (12 g fat).
- Cook the pasta al dente: it finishes in the oven.
- Perfect for batch cooking: shared, frozen, reheated.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make this bake ahead?
Yes: that is one of its strengths. Assemble it, keep it chilled and bake at the last moment, or cook it fully and reheat by portion. It keeps 3 days in the fridge and freezes very well.
How do you make the bake lighter?
Reduce the mozzarella, use whole-wheat pasta for more fibre, and load the sauce with vegetables (zucchini, pepper). Chicken breast keeps protein high for little fat.
Can you swap the chicken for another meat?
Yes: turkey, lean ground beef or even tuna all work. Choose a lean source to keep the dish balanced, and adjust the sauce accordingly.
Track your nutrition and progress
Log your workouts, your weight and your records — free, on mobile and desktop.