Creamy Pumpkin Chicken Pasta Bake

November 24, 2020 |

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

Friday is pasta and salad night in the GetJoyfull household and the one night a week everyone agrees on dinner. They love it! Is your family pasta fanatical, too? If you’re saying yes, well, I have the perfect fall pasta recipe for you and your crew! This week I added a little seasonal panache to our go-to chicken casserole and the result was everything you crave in the fall, stuffed into a cast-iron skillet and baked to golden perfection. This “Creamy Chicken & Pumpkin Pasta” is perfect! If you love pasta, chicken and pumpkin. If you’re over pumpkin-spiced lattes and in serious need of pumpkin redemption, this is for you. Trust me. You’ll have to hold yourself back from eating this dish straight from the serving spoon. But if it comes to that, it’s ok. It’s that cozy. It’s that comforting. It’s that creamy good! Popping on my dietitian hat, I like to think a great casserole has three key elements. A yummy whole grain, a satisfying protein and a seasonal vegetable. This recipe checks all these boxes, and then some.

Author: Emily Mardell

Ingredients

1 pkg. (250 g) jumbo pasta shells
1 cup (250 mL) ricotta cheese
¼ cup (60 mL) grated asiago cheese
½ cup (125 mL) pumpkin puree
1 large egg, beaten
¼ tsp (1 ml) ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce & Garnish:

1 Tbsp. (15 mL) canola oil
1 lb. (454 g) fresh ground chicken
1 red bell pepper, chopped
½ yellow onion, finely diced
1 tsp (5 mL) oregano
1 tsp (5 mL) fennel seeds
2 cups (500 mL) tomato sauce
1 cup (250 mL) milk
1 tsp (5 mL) oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup (125 mL) mini bocconcini
½ tsp (2 mL) red pepper flakes

Instructions

Bring a large stockpot of water to boil. Cook pasta shells to al dente. Drain and rinse well with cold water to stop the cooking process and prevent pasta shells from sticking together.
In a medium bowl, mix all filling ingredients together until well combined. Stuff cooked pasta shells with filling and set aside.
In an oven-safe skillet on medium-high heat, cook chicken with olive oil, onion, bell peppers, oregano and fennel seeds, until crumbled and golden, about 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Add tomato sauce, milk, oregano to skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add stuffed pasta to skillet in an even layer and top with mini bocconcini and red pepper flakes.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until bubbling and golden. Remove the skillet from the oven and allow pasta to rest for 5 minutes before plating. Enjoy with mixed greens.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 335 Fat: 14g Carbohydrates: 34g Sodium: 350mg Protein: 23g Cholesterol: 73mg