Description
This Cajun Cream Cheese Chicken Pasta Bake is a flavorful and creamy dish that combines tender chicken with Cajun spices, bell peppers, onions, and a rich cream cheese sauce, all baked to perfection with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta:
- 12 oz penne or rigatoni pasta
Chicken:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
Seasoning:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Veggies:
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Creamy Sauce:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup chicken broth
Cheese and Garnish:
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Cook Pasta: Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente; drain and set aside.
- Sauté Chicken: In a skillet, cook chicken with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until browned and cooked through.
- Add Veggies: Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic; sauté until softened.
- Make Creamy Sauce: Lower heat, stir in cream cheese, heavy cream, and chicken broth until smooth. Mix in half of the mozzarella and all of the Parmesan cheese.
- Combine and Bake: Add cooked pasta to the sauce, toss to coat, transfer to baking dish, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella, and bake for 20 minutes.
- Garnish and Serve: Garnish with parsley before serving if desired.
Notes
- Adjust Cajun seasoning to taste for more or less heat.
- For a lighter version, substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream and use reduced-fat cream cheese.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American, Cajun
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
- Calories: 540
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 580mg
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 31g
- Cholesterol: 115mg
