Chicken Pasta Bake with Green Sauce: A Cozy, Cheesy Way to Eat More Greens
Looking for a comforting baked pasta recipe that’s secretly doing the heavy lifting in the veggie department?
Allow me to introduce: Chicken Pasta Bake with Green Sauce, aka the cozy dinner that sneaks an entire farmer’s market into your weeknight rotation.
It’s rich. It’s cheesy. It’s green in the best way. And somehow, it still feels like comfort food — not a boring salad or a sad wellness cleanse.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Pasta Bake (Especially If Your Fridge Is a Jungle)
It’s a little embarrassing to admit this as a dietitian, but before I started gardening, I couldn’t tell you what a broccoli plant looked like. Just the crowns, but that’s it. Same goes for cauliflower and cabbage — all of which, as it turns out, are basically leaf factories wearing tiny hats.
All these plants produce enormous amounts of edible greens. We’re talking leafy, floppy, sometimes slightly dramatic leaves that in-total weigh more than the actual veggie head. And that’s not even counting the greens I meant to grow, like kale and Swiss chard.
So what do you do when your fridge is overtaken by greens with the energy of a middle-school musical ensemble?
You make green sauce. Lots of it.
What Is Green Sauce? (And Why It Belongs in Your Pasta, Your Chicken, and Your Life)
This vibrant, verdant, power-packed sauce is inspired by Indian saag — the original MVP of cooked-down leafy greens. But here, instead of spices and paneer, we’re adding chicken thighs, yogurt, and a little cheesy pasta energy.
• The chicken thighs cook with the greens, releasing their glorious schmaltz into the mix.
• Then it all gets blitzed with yogurt (or sour cream, your call) into a creamy, dreamy, brilliant green sauce that tastes way fancier than it is.
• Pour it over pasta, throw in the chicken, bury it in mozzarella, and bake it until bubbly.
It’s giving “grandma’s casserole” energy but with modern guts. Green guts. Delicious green guts.
Use the Greens You’ve Got (Because Your Crisper Drawer is Not a Museum)
This Chicken Pasta Bake is flexible like a yogi with a cheese addiction. It works with almost any hearty greens you’ve got lurking in your fridge or garden.
Here’s a cheat sheet to some of their personalities:
• Kale: Earthy and reliable. The accountant of greens.
• Beet greens: Slightly sweet, a little beet-y, and unfairly underrated.
• Mustard greens: Peppery drama queens, in the best way.
• Broccoli greens: Taste like broccoli, obviously, but cooler.
Pro tip: Mix and match greens like you’re a DJ at a farmers market rave—crank up the flavor!
Ingredient FAQs: Chicken Conundrums, Cheese Choices & Sauce Showdowns
Chicken: Thighs or Breasts?
Do what makes your soul sing. That said, bone-in, skin-on thighs bring the flavor and the schmaltz. If you want to go boneless or skip the skin, no judgment — just cook it in the rendered fat, then discard the skin like a responsible adult with snacky instincts.
Yogurt or Sour Cream?
Yogurt is tangy and bright. Sour cream is rich and creamy. You can’t go wrong with either — but you can start a friendly household debate.
Mozzarella or… something else?
Mozzarella is classic. But you can shake things up with fontina, provolone, Monterey Jack, cheddar, or whatever’s about to expire in your cheese drawer. If it melts, it belongs here.
Make It Ahead: The Casserole Hack for Future You
Yes, you can technically make this start-to-finish on a weeknight. But if you want to channel your inner Martha Steward, assemble it ahead of time and bake it when you need it.
Make-ahead tip:
Assemble the whole thing in your baking dish, cover tightly, and refrigerate. Then pull it out 30–45 minutes before baking so your casserole dish doesn’t shatter from cold-to-hot whiplash. (It happens. Learn from my ceramic trauma.)
Top Tips for Pasta Bake Perfection (and Avoiding Sad, Mushy Noodles)
• Undercook your pasta: You’re cooking it twice. Boil it on the lower end of the suggested range, or shave off a minute or two.
• Let it rest after baking: This is crucial. It helps everything set up so you can cut actual slices, not green-cheese chaos blobs. (Also: molten cheese is hotter than the sun. Give it 10 minutes.)
• Toppings are optional… but why not? Cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, red pepper flakes, or your weird uncle’s homemade hot sauce (my recipe is here, btw) — all fair game.
Final Thoughts: This Chicken Pasta Bake Is Kind of My Hero
This dish is cheesy, creamy, comforting, and rich… but also packed with fiber, vitamins, and smug satisfaction. Whether your fridge is overflowing with garden greens, your CSA box is judging you, or you just want a cozy, high-veg dinner that doesn’t taste like licking dirt, this one’s for you.
Serve it up. Savor the emerald ecstasy. Brag later.
More like this Chicken Pasta Bake with Green Sauce
If you like everything about this but want to try it without the pasta, check out my Chicken in Green Sauce with Goat Cheese. And if you still have a surplus of greens, I feel your pain. How do you think I ended up with this collection of recipes for hearty greens?
Chicken Pasta Bake with Green Sauce
Ingredients
- Butter for baking dish
- 4 chicken thighs bone-in skin-on
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 6 cloves garlic smashed
- 16 oz hearty greens tough stems removed and leaves roughly chopped (about 5 cups)
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 16 oz short pasta such as cellentani or penne
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 3 cups grated mozzarella cheese divided
For Serving (as desired)
- Crushed red pepper flakes or hot sauce
- Cherry tomatoes cut in half
- Fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F (205℃). Butter a large casserole dish or 9×13 inch pan. Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and season and all sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or deep skillet (with lid) over medium heat. Add chicken thighs, skin side down and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until skin is nicely browned and a good amount of fat has rendered into the pan. Flip and sear the meat side for about 1 minute. Remove to a plate.
- Add onions and garlic to skillet and cook briefly until fragrant. Add greens and cook while stirring until wilted, 2-3 minutes. Mix in chicken stock, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper. Place chicken thighs skin side up on top of greens. Cover and transfer to oven for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat and cook pasta per package directions for al dente. (More al dente is better, it will continue to cook in the oven). Drain and return to pot.
- When chicken thighs are done cooking, transfer them to a cutting board. Transfer the rest of the Dutch oven contents into a blender. Add Greek yogurt or sour cream and blend until smooth.
- Remove bones from chicken thighs and cut the meat into bite-sized chunks. Add chicken to the pot of pasta, along with green sauce, and 1½ cups mozzarella cheese. Mix to combine.
- Spread pasta into an even layer in the buttered dish. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Top with desired toppings.
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