A creamy, cheesy, tomato based, chicken and pasta recipe – so simple and tasty!
Submitted by Paulene Christie
Creamy Tomato Cheesy Chicken and Pasta Bake
A creamy, cheesy, tomato based, chicken and pasta recipe – so simple and tasty!
Serving: 5
Ingredients
- 1kg diced chicken fillets (breast or thigh)
- 600ml cooking cream
- 1 red onion diced
- 1-2 tsp cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 Tablespoon of minced garlic (2-3 cloves)
- 190g jar of tomato or sun dried tomato pesto
- 1/2 cup of sliced green shallots
- 1 cup small pasta shells
- 1 cup tasty grated cheese (I use light cheese but you can use full fat too)
Instructions
- Add chicken to slow cooker
- Combine cream, onion, pepper, garlic and pesto and pour over chicken
- Cook on LOW for 3.5-4hrs
- Add raw pasta and shallots, stir and cook on LOW an additional 30minutes (for small shells, larger pasta types might need 45mins+)
- Add cheese and stir through to mix and cook approximately 15mins more or until melted
- Serve with steamed greens or on it’s own
Notes
- I think spinach would also make a nice addition added at the end to wilt before serving
Tried this recipe?Scroll Down To Share What You Think
Trying this now how do you think mushrooms would be in it please Pauline?
Sorry I only just saw this today Casey … did you try it? How did it goes?
A bit too rich for my family. Might swap out the cream for evaporated milk
Tried this for the first time. Family found it to be quite bland in flavour
This was delicious! My husband and almost 2 year old inhaled it! So easy but so tasty! Definitely a winner that I’ll make again!
This was delicious! My husband and almost 2 year old inhaled their dinner! Was absolutely a winner in our house and ill be making it again for sure. Next time i think ill stir some chopped avocado in right at the end which i think would be a nice addition but this recipe was perfect without it! Super yummy!
Your right Paulene did make me want to lick the plate but a slice of bread mopped up every last bit ….delicious thank you
This was a big winner in my house! So yummy!!! We used chicken breast which was a bit dry, we might put the breast in whole next time and shred. Also think adding bacon and even chopped sundried tomatoes as well as the pesto will give it that extra texture! A must try ?
Delicious and so easy! Kids loved it too. Thank you.
We love this so much! I don’t add the onion or shallots . I also cook the pasta seperate as I don’t have it but the others do. I love the sundried tomato flavour. It’s cooking away right now for our dinner.
Tried this tonight, unfortunately the smell was a lot better then the taste, very bland
Does it have to be pesto or can I use Tomato Paste?
It would be a much stronger tomato flavour than the pesto I think but you could 🙂
My family loved this and they are so fussy when I cook meals in the slow cooker. I will definitely cook this again, finally had a win.
Absolutely Beautiful! I served with steamed broccoli & zucchini. Such an easy yet versatile dish!!
Tried this recipe today for the first time. Didn’t add the shallots as family aren’t too keen but it was still a hit with all the family (including hubby chef and 11 month old son)
Very impressed and definitely will be cooking this again!
Didn’t dice chicken breast, just threw it in and pulled/shredded when adding the pasta and shallots. Also added a pinch of salt. And added about 3 hand full of large pasta shells.
I cooked on low for 5hrs and it’s amazing. Melt in your mouth. My partner LOVES it and keeps going back for more. Definetly making this again.
I used lactose free cream and didn’t cut the chicken breast I just shredded it before adding the pasta. I also added peas as my son loves them. It was such a great one pot dish!
Absolutely delicious! Added some baby spinach at the end per the suggestion and am adding this to my favourites ☺
Tried this and wasn’t that great. I had to use coconut cream instead of normal cream, maybe that was the reaso. But not a fave in our house and would make again but glad I gave it a go and pretty simple to make. ?
It certainly not meant to mix with coconut flavours :/
That’s a big difference.
I’d try it again as it’s intended 🙂
Just wondering if this would freeze well? 1kg of chicken is 3-4 family meals so I’m hoping we can make for dinner and freeze leftovers?
Made this and loved it , I might cut a bit of cream out next time or put more pasta in
Hubby is onto his 4th bowl as I type….
This tasted perfect. I accidentally popped the cheese in at the start because I don’t read through recipies properly , I added some bacon and spinach too and it’s definitely on my list of regular meals
such a great simple meal to make and I have 1 fussy kid and one non fussy and they wanted more so I’ll be making it again
What a winner…the kids and I loved it….so easy and tasted great..we will be having this again soon.
I made this tonight although I decided to add 2 cups of pasta not even thinking it would soak up the sauce.. it was still delicious I think I’d double the sauce next time..
Omg! This was so delicious.. My 1.5 year old loved it, i will definitely be making this one again. If you’re a lover of creamy cheesy pasta dishes, this will not disappoint. Yum!
Hubbys new number one favourite, will definitely be making this again.
This was absolutely delicious. A winner for sure. Quick question – I was thinking of having the cooking cream and pesto “on hand” so I could make it on a minute’s notice, so to speak. We always have chicken in the freezer. Someone suggested spinach would be a nice addition and I am inclined to agree and was going to add it next time. Frozen spinach should be ok, shouldn’t it? If so, I can have it “on hand” too.
I think that would be fine 🙂
Thought this was a great dish however too much of the one flavor for me to have just this so I added fresh steamed veggies on my plate and it was very yummy. Have frozen leftovers for when hubby is on night shift
10/10
One of my absolute favourites!
Will make a double batch next time so I can put one half into pies.
Just so a can drag out the delicious-ness a little longer.
Thank you!
I can’t eat pasta do you think it would go alright over mashed potatoes instead.
It absolutley will 🙂
10/10 my family love it! I can’t wait to try it again
Tasted amazing. I doubled the whole recipe as I’ve got a big tribe, and also added spinach, mushrooms and bacon. Will be a regular on our menu.
Absolutely loved this, awesome flavour, simple to make. The wife loves it too and told me i am definitely making this again. Thanks to the original poster. 10 out of 10.
Wow thanks Greg 🙂
Would halving the recipe, fit in the 1.5L slow cooker?
Cooked this a few times now its delish I add a little more pasta and some frozen veg yummy 🙂
Cooked the chicken side of this, and will freeze before the addition of the pasta… however, maybe it’s just me being generous with my portions, but I find this only really serves 4?
Absolute family favourite my kids polished their plates. They even think I should be a chef after cooking this 🙂 will be making this a regular meal in this house
Didn’t take as long as recipe stated in my slow cooker but was delicious will definitely do again.
My sons allergic to gluten and the only gluten free pasta I could find was spaghetti noodles, Do you think it’ll still work? Also I can’t use Shallots either cause my partners allergic.
This recipe is delicious! Used chicken thigh and added mushrooms and fresh spinach, my partner said it is the best slow cooker meal I have ever cooked. Thanks for sharing .
Cooked this the other night, was absolutely delicious, will definitely be making it again.
Absolutely LOVE this dish!! So easy and super tasty. I add mushrooms and spinach ?
Cooked this tonight with spinach and normal thickened cream . perfect consistency , a tad bland on first taste but added salt and sugar and it was lovely with steamed veg
Another yummy dish next time might add some mushrooms ??
Made this today. Added mushroom. Bloody yummy. Will be making again. Thank you for the recipe.
This was a big win with the 4 fussy children. Next time I will add a bit more pasta as we had a lot of sauce left over. Was very yummy and tasty
This was amazing and added mushrooms an hour before pasta shells 30 mins before serving & baby spinach added 10 mins before serving the smell through the house was incredible & had to be patient until it was ready there was only 2 of us and the bowl was empty no leftovers will definitely be a favorite
Followed the recipe exactly, unfortunately it made most of my household feel sick. Bit rich I think.
Cooked this tonight, partner and I both really like it. Cooked the pasta separately so that it wouldn’t soak up any liquid from the slow cooker and just added in the cooked pasta when the cheese went in, ended up being able to add the entire bag of pasta without any lack of sauce. Also added 500g diced bacon, and the final result yielded 8 meals. Definitely will be cooking again
Loved,loved,Loved it! So did my dinner guests from out of town . This is the 2nd time I have used them as guinea pigs for recipes from this site then they want the recipe after.
Gave this recipe a go today… But added the whole packet of pasta and more cream and spinach… kids had an early dinner. At first were hesitant because of the spinach but once we got past that, they loved and demolished it! Yay!!
Delicious ?up from both kids. Served on own, Will make this again
I made this for tea tonight. Added mushies, bacon and spinach. And I only had 300ml of cream so used a tin of evaporated milk too. Tasted good. Kids both ate it and hubby ate 3 bowls. Winner in my house. ?
Cooking this for dinner tonight fussy toddler said yum when I told him what we were having. So will let you know how it goes if it gets the ? will be making it again.
Made this for the 1st time tonight for dinner was pleased howit turned out. Even happier fussy 4 yo liked it and wants me to cook it again
Could you put the pasta and shallots all in when you start cooking
The pasta would be mush by that time I’m afraid. And the shallots could be added at the start but will have less taste also after cooking that long
This was a hit with my slow cooker hating partner hahaha. He said this is one of the best recipes I’ve done. Toddler gobbled it up too. I’ve found the Coles brand pesto is much nicer than the Leggos one. I add 3 cups of pasta, 3 very large chunky cut mushrooms, and spinach.
I made this and loved it but it did not have the bright colour, I used sun dried tomato pesto would I get the colour if I just used tomato pesto please
Different brands would have different colours – I think from memory mine was Coles brand? But don’t worry too much about colour so long as the taste is what you love 🙂
I want to try this recipe tomorrow 29/12/18 but i dont like pestos of any type can i use a tomatoe based sauce like for lasagna or Bolognese or even a tin of condensed tomatoe soup instead of the pesto???
A good spoon or two of tomato paste would probably be closer in flavour concentration
What is cooking cream in the UK? Double cream?
Cooking cream is one that resists splitting over heat 🙂
More info here
We tried this tonight and it was delicious! The whole family loved it and the partner would have gone back for seconds if there was any left ?
Hi was wondering if anyone has frozen this
Am worried that on thawing the sauce could split
I haven’t tried myself to be sure but perhaps someone who has will see this. Remember too that splitting is visual only – it wouldn’t make it any less edible if it did happen x (Split Cream)
I made this for dinner and it was delicious! I used chicken breast, Aldi sundried tomato pesto, added some mushrooms and baby spinach, left out the spring onion. I cooked the pasta seperate and will freeze half the sauce as it makes a lot! Will make again.
Easy to make. My partner and stepson love this and they are fussy eaters.
Delicious!! Added Broccoli & bacon when started cooking and spinach towards the end. Only 250ml of cream though.
Everyone loved it. Thank you! x
Hi just check have had it on high instead of low it’s been on for 3hours oops should I turn down to low or put pasta in now and turn yo low
Love this one – I doubled the recipe as I’m do big batch cooking for meal prep but I’ll only use 600ml of cream next time when doubling the recipe, way too runny with 1.2L. Also added spinach and might add mushroom next time!
Absolutely delicious one of our faves. I used sun dried tomato pesto and served with fettuchini that I cooked separately winner winner yummo!!
Made this tonight for myself and my kiddies. Used light coconut cream and dairy free cheddar cheese instead as my son has a dairy allergy and omg the coconut cream really made it taste so much better!!
I want to make this recipe but I cant get sundried tomato pesto. What can be used as a substitute?
Are you in Australia? I find all woolies and coles have it. Do you have those shops?
This is so yummy. Even fussy Mr 6 ate it happily.
This is a regular meal I make for the family they love it. I also freeze it for our late night quick meals for after the kids after school activities.
Hi Paulene do you think I could swap out cheddar ( hard cheese ) for soft cheese ricotta, Philadelphia, or Brie, worried it will change consistency. If so how much. I love cheese but need to avoid as have had issues, ok with dairy but randomly, cheese has shown up thanks Deb
I think you could, or you could also leave it out if you prefer 🙂 I’m not sure how or if the other cheeses would melt over the top in the same way?
This is my daughters favourite. I’ve got to make it every time she comes home. It’s quick and easy
Made this the other night. Added chilli paste to it for some kick. Its so simple and easy to customise too. Am thinking next time bed of rice and some vegetables. Maybe some chunky bacon cubes too
Made this on Monday for dinner huge success. Had enough for Tuesday dinner as well. Yum yum.
Thank you paulene for a wonderful recipe.
Tried it and it was AMAZING. Definately in my list to do again.
Can you use a can of diced tomatoes
That would add a lot of extra liquid to this dish Joanne. If you don’t have pesto what about some blitzed semi dried tomatoes with a little basil and garlic?
Cooked half batch of this recipe the other day and chicken turned out beautifully tender, the whole recipe was delicious-thank you! I just added frozen vegetables, the small pieces, as it is a good time saver for me and it turned out beautifully. Next time I will add mushrooms also.
Cooked half batch but used the full jar of tomato pesto and also added bacon. Perfect winter comfort food!
So easy and so delicious! I like the idea of adding bacon and baby spinach. Is it just as good with green basil pesto?
This dish was delicious! Super easy and quick to put on. Little effort for such a yummy dinner! The whole family enjoyed it even the fussy 12 year old.
Made this for the 2nd time tonight, this time I added 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and 2 cups of cheese, very yummy dish and so easy to make.
Absolutely delicious!!! Sent to friends & not one bad response. I left out the pasta & served on rice, added carrots cauliflower broccoli
Absolutely delicious, shared recipe with friends & not one negative response. I added carrots cauliflower broccoli capsicum & zucchini omitted the pasta & served on rice ?
This was so good. Made it to the recipe. No changes.
We are on a healthy eating faze at the moment.
Is there any substitute for the cooking cream?
Anything a little healthier perhaps ?
As we have a nut allergy in the house I used the Leggo’s tomato and roasted garlic stir through sauce which had very similar ingredients as the pesto but minus the nuts. It was a bonus that it was only a third of the fat of the pesto too, tasted amazing. I did omit the garlic though as the stir through sauce contained a lot of garlic
Family loved the dish but said maybe some bacon would be good. Then I saw the comments. I always make a recipe exactly as listed to respect the author, then make personalised changes to our taste. Very easy to prepare and very tasty. Thank you.
So easy and delicious, this one was a hit. My son loves pasta so I added quite a lot, I just added a splash of milk to make up for the extra pasta. I will definitely be making this one again
Made this and I think it will be a favourite. Not too much spice or punch but still flavoursomd and that meant my daughter also loved it. Recommend the spinach at the end.
Made this today. Used chicken thighs
Also used 300ml light cooking cream, 300ml light evap milk. The liquid split, but I’m the only one eating it, so I didn’t really mind.
Also added 200g of short cut bacon diced at the start, a punnet of mushrooms at the 3 hr mark. I also sprinkled a teaspoon of chicken stock powder as well.
Next time I’ll dice the meat and onion up finer.
So nice. Will try again.
Like this needs another review…
A very delicious dish, and I will be making this dish over Winter when I have the Family here. I only gave it 4 as I did find it a tad rich, I might try it with Creme Fraiche. Every thing else I will do the same – I added a handful of marjorum and some mixed green frozen vegetables.
so simple to make. I added red capsicum and celery for some crunch. I think next time I will add some chilli do a bit of a kick
Delicious…I doubled the pasta (used large shells) and still think I could have added another cup of pasta as well (so 3 cups altogether)…threw in 3 big handfuls of baby spinach for last few minutes…was super yummy and made loads. Smiles all round here!
Absolutely delicious 😋 I added finely chopped spinach, 1 of each vegetable & chicken stock cube and some mixed winter vegetables. Family loved it. Very tasty, quick and easy dinner 🍽
Just made it today it’s pretty good ! Although i feel it needs some salt , mushrooms , possibly bacon for bit of extra flavour 😋 but still great as is !
Made this on Saturday to have for dinner last night (Sunday night). It was so easy and delicious. I have a family with varying degrees of fussiness when it comes to eating and this was one of those rare occasions where I got an enthusiastic “Yum!” from everyone. Will definitely add to regular rotation. We served it with fresh steamed broccoli. Although I made it strictly to the recipe and it is perfect, it’s definitely something that I can play around with (I like the idea of mushrooms that I read here)