Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake (A Healthy Casserole!)

Are you on the hunt for the ultimate healthy comfort food casserole? A creamy, cheesy, and completely satisfying one-dish meal that the whole family will love, but secretly made without a drop of heavy cream? This incredible, super-easy Healthy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Casserole is the answer! We’re talking tender pasta, savory chicken, and perfectly roasted broccoli, all tossed in the most unbelievably rich and creamy sauce made from a secret, healthy ingredient: cashews!

This isn’t just another pasta bake recipe; it’s a guide to your new family-favorite casserole. We’ll show you how to use a few smart shortcuts to create a stunning, from-scratch-tasting meal that is perfect for a comforting family dinner, a potluck, or for stocking your freezer with a delicious, ready-to-bake meal.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Recipe Overview: The Ultimate Healthy Comfort Food Casserole

What makes this Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake so spectacularly delicious is its incredible, creamy texture, achieved with a brilliant and healthy hack. This recipe is a masterpiece of wholesome comfort food. The dish features tender whole wheat pasta, savory shredded chicken, and beautifully roasted broccoli, which brings out its sweet, nutty flavor. The true star of the show, however, is the from-scratch creamy cashew sauce. This luscious, dairy-free (optional) sauce is made from a simple blend of cashew butter, cashew milk, and almond flour, creating a rich, velvety texture that perfectly coats every noodle. The entire casserole is then topped with a generous blanket of melted cheese and baked to bubbly, golden-brown perfection.

Metric	Time / Level
Total Time	45 minutes
Active Prep Time	15 minutes
Difficulty Level	Easy
Servings	6-8

The Healthy Hack Superstars: The Essential Ingredients

This iconic dish uses a handful of smart shortcuts and wholesome ingredients to create its signature comforting and cheesy flavor.

• The Creamy Cashew Sauce (The Star of the Show!):
  • Cashew Butter: This is the brilliant and healthy secret to an instant, rich, and velvety sauce that is packed with healthy fats and is naturally dairy-free. For the best, smoothest result, be sure to use a high-quality, creamy, and unsweetened cashew butter.
  • Cashew Milk & Almond Flour: These two ingredients work together to create the perfect, luscious consistency for our sauce. The almond flour acts as a wonderful, gluten-free thickener.
• The Roasted Broccoli: The number one secret to delicious, not bland or soggy, broccoli in a casserole is to roast it first! This simple step, done right in the casserole dish, concentrates the broccoli’s flavor and gives it a wonderful, tender-crisp texture and beautiful, caramelized edges.
• The Shortcuts:
  • Pre-cooked Chicken: Using about 3 cups of pre-cooked, shredded chicken is the ultimate time-saver for a quick weeknight meal. A store-bought rotisserie chicken is a fantastic and convenient choice.
• The Pasta: A classic, sturdy pasta shape like rotini or penne is the perfect choice for this hearty casserole. This recipe uses whole wheat rotini for an extra, healthy boost of fiber.

Step-by-Step to the Best Chicken Broccoli Bake

This delicious, one-dish meal is incredibly simple to prepare.

Step 1: Roast the Broccoli and Cook the Pasta

Step 1: First, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).

Step 2: Place your 3-4 cups of broccoli florets in a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Drizzle them with the 2 tablespoons of avocado oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to your taste.

Step 3: Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Step 4: While the broccoli is roasting, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook your 8 ounces of pasta according to the package directions until it is perfectly al dente.

Pro Tip: It is a great idea to cook your pasta for 1 minute less than the package directs. The pasta will continue to cook in the hot sauce in the oven, and this will prevent your final casserole from being soft and mushy. Drain the pasta and set it aside.

Part 2: Make the Creamy Cashew Sauce and Assemble

Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together all the cashew sauce ingredients: the 1/2 cup of creamy cashew butter, the 3/4 cup of cashew milk, the 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth, the 1/4 cup of almond flour, the 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, the 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, the 1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.

Step 2: When the broccoli is done roasting, add your cooked and drained pasta, your 3 cups of precooked chicken, 1 cup of your shredded cheese, and your prepared cashew sauce directly to the casserole dish with the broccoli.

Step 3: Mix everything together right in the casserole dish until it is well combined.

Step 4: Top the casserole with the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.

Part 3: Bake to Bubbly, Cheesy Perfection

Place the casserole dish back in the oven and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. You will know it is perfectly done when the sauce is hot and bubbling around the edges and the cheese on top is completely melted and a beautiful golden brown.

Let the casserole rest for a few minutes before you serve it.

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Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

This Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake is the ultimate make-ahead and freezer-friendly meal.

• Make-Ahead: You can fully assemble the entire, unbaked casserole up to 2 days in advance. Simply cover it tightly with foil and store it in the refrigerator. When you are ready to bake, you may need to add 15-20 minutes to the total baking time.
• Storage: Store any leftover baked casserole, well-covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Freezing: This casserole freezes beautifully! You can freeze it either before or after baking. Let it cool completely, then wrap the pan very well in a double layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)