Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake
Baked pasta dishes are some of my favorite things to batch cook, since one dish in the oven turns into ten portions with almost no extra effort. This one leans on marinara, mozzarella, and Parmesan to do the heavy lifting, with chicken and spinach keeping it balanced.
This is comfort food dressed up for meal prep, with pasta, marinara, and melted cheese doing most of the heavy lifting on flavor. Spinach wilts right into the bake, so it's an easy way to work in a vegetable without changing the taste much.
Baked pasta dishes like this one reheat especially well, since the cheese re-melts and the sauce keeps everything moist instead of drying out in the microwave. It's the kind of bowl that makes a busy weeknight feel like less of a compromise.
The recipe card has the full ingredient list and baking time for the complete ten-portion batch. Let it cool for a few minutes before portioning into containers, then refrigerate what you'll eat within four days and freeze the rest. This chicken Parmesan pasta bake reheats well enough that it barely tastes like a leftover.
Nutrition note: This is general food information, not individualized medical or nutrition advice.
Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake
YIELD
10 portions
ESTIMATED NUTRITION
705 calories • 63g protein • 70g carbs • 21g fat per portion
This recipe is perfect for busy weeks because the components cook simply and portion cleanly into grab-and-go meals.
Ingredients
• 3 3/4 lb chicken breast, diced
• 30 oz whole-wheat pasta
• 7 1/2 cups marinara
• 2 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 1/10 cup grated Parmesan
• 5 cups spinach
• 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
Directions
1. Cook pasta.
2. Brown chicken in oil.
3. Combine pasta, chicken, marinara and spinach in baking dish; top with cheeses.
4. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.
5. Let the food cool briefly, then divide it evenly among 10 airtight meal-prep containers. Add avocado or other delicate fresh toppings just before eating.
Meal-prep notes: Refrigerate promptly and use refrigerated portions within 3–4 days; freeze any portions you will not eat in that window. Reheat hot meals until steaming and 165°F internally. Nutrition is estimated per portion.
