Creamy Basil Pesto Chicken Tetrazzini

Classic pasta tetrazzini with a fun twist using basil pesto and chicken! This is the ultimately easy pan of comfort food that the entire family will adore.

It’s GREEN, guys! It’s everywhere you look on my blog lately. And I’m ♥ ing it and secretly wishing that all this green goodness is going to give spring the hint to just get here for REAL already and stay.

Green sidenote: Asparagus. I totally did it the other day for the first time this year and HOLY to the moly…???

And today…more make-ahead dinner salvation and green in all it’s carby tetrazzini glory. ?

Truth: We eat literally oodles of noodles in my family. And I mean, OODLES, guys! So many carbs, so little time. ♥

Okay actually not everyone does. Definitely not my parents because they’re both on ultra-ULTRA healthy diets, but me and the kiddos? Our pasta addiction is completely out of control. So dang it all I have to always keep coming up with new and semi-exciting recipes to fuel our obsession.

I mean, somebody’s gotta do it. #jobswithperks. ??

Turkey tetrazzini is obviously one of those vintage dinner classics that can NEVER go outta style, but…well, pesto is the best thing in the whole wide world. And not everybody has leftover turkey but EVERYONE can swing leftover chicken.

The point I’m getting at is that we have strayed extremely far from classic tetrazzini today. And that right there is why dinner is going to be so dang good tonight. 😉

The bold flavorful basil pesto (you can use storebought or homemade!) as you can probably imagine collides gloriously with the creamy white sauce coating each and every perfect noodle. And no words probably even need to be spoken all that chicken/pea goodness down the middle covered in a blanket of CHEESE and crispy breadcrumbs. ♥

I adore every single part of the contents of this pan for reals. Rest assured that you shall to. Even you green-dissers out there (um, I’m hoping that’s an extremely low percentage) are going to be ALL over this.

Plates are optional, the whole forks straight-into-the-whole-dang-pan thing is strongly encouraged.

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Creamy Basil Pesto Chicken Tetrazzini

Classic pasta tetrazzini with a fun twist using basil pesto and chicken! This is the ultimately easy pan of comfort food that the entire family will adore.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 329kcal

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 small onion finely diced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup prepared pesto
• 1 lb spaghetti pasta cooked according to recipe instructions
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 cups cooked chicken diced
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, saute garlic and onion in butter until fragrant and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and whisk in flour. Slowly whisk in milk and chicken broth until sauce is smooth. Bring sauce to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and whisk in pesto until smooth.
• Place spaghetti in a 9x13 baking pan and pour half of sauce over top and gently stir to coat. Meanwhile, stir peas and chicken into remaining sauce. Make a well down the center of spaghetti and slowly spoon sauce down the middle. Sprinkle top with cheese and breadcrumbs.
• Cover pan with foil and refrigerate tetrazzini up to 3 days. (tetrazzini may also be frozen up to 2 months) When ready to bake, remove tetrazzini from fridge or freezer and bake, covered with foil at 350F 20-25 minutes, then remove foil and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until breadcrumbs are toasted and filling is bubbly. (if baking directly from the freezer, increase the bake time to 30-35 minutes) Enjoy tetrazzini hot!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 29.7g | Protein: 21.8g | Fat: 14.2g | Saturated Fat: 7.8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6.4g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 380mg | Fiber: 4.3g | Sugar: 4.7g

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below. Feel free to share a picture on Instagram and tag @wholeandheavenlyoven or hashtag it #wholeandheavenlyoven

I’m a pesto-freak, guys. For real…

Three-Cheese Pesto Turkey Lasagna

Chicken Basil Pesto Pasta Skillet