Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Bake

This Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Bake is a perfect, easy comfort food your whole family will love; it’s a one-pot meal that’s done in under 30 minutes with the help of already cooked chicken breast.  It's one of those stick-to-you-ribs kind of comfort foods that is perfect for a fall evening when the air gets a little chilly.

Planning Ahead Without Really Planning

If you’re like me, you buy the same combination of groceries most weeks with a half baked plan for your meals.  I've tried to make a meal plan, but I like the flexibility and creativity that comes with not having a fully scheduled week of food. Even when I do plan, I rarely follow my meal plans; I get two to three days in, and suddenly things change--I forget about after school plans, we come home and my daughters are bonkers and haven’t napped, or honestly I just don’t feel like eating what I have planned.

As you may know, I released my ebook late July with this type of meal prep in mind. Instead of planning full meals, I bulk prep proteins like chicken or ground turkey to be used in a variety of ways throughout the week. This style of meal prep actually evolved from dishes like this where I wanted to be able to find new ways to use already cooked chicken.

Grilled vs. Breaded Chicken

My chicken cordon bleu pasta bake is a great dish for using already cooked chicken. Someone on Instagram recently asked how it would be using breaded chicken instead of grilled. I knew I had to try it out, and I'm happy to report it is magical. If you use my breaded chicken recipe, I used four breaded chicken breasts to only add one extra point to my serving (my recipe is 2 WW SP on blue and purple).

If you are using grilled chicken, my lemon dijon chicken and my easy pantry seasoned chicken (ebook exclusive) are my two go-to recipes.

Can I substitute cashew milk in the chicken cordon bleu pasta bake?

Yeah. I get asked this question all the time. I love cashew milk for cooking because it is thicker and creamier than almond milk. It is just as low (and sometimes lower) in points than almond milk, and I can usually find it in most grocery stores these days.

Some people can't have cashew milk or just don't prefer it. As with any of my cashew milk based recipes, feel free to substitute with any other milk your heart desires. For dairy milk, the higher the fat the creamier this will be. I've never been a fan of using skim milk for cooking (or anything), but I also have the privilege of not having a food allergy.

Yield: 8 servings - 12oz each (roughly 2 cups)

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Bake

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Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Bake is a family favorite recipe. This recipe takes all the amazing components of chicken cordon bleu–the warm, slightly nutty Swiss cheese, sweet honey ham, and juicy and flavorful herbed chicken breast–and combines it into a family-friendly pasta casserole that is satisfying and filling.

553 calories

Green - 11 WW SP

Blue - 9 WW SP

Purple - 4 WW SP (using whole wheat pasta)

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb fully cooked chicken breast, sliced
• 6 oz deli honey ham, sliced
• 1 box of pasta
• 6 oz light swiss, shredded (I use Jarlsberg)
• 6 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 6 cups cashew milk, unsweetened (I use Silk)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 oz parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard

Instructions

1. Add cashew milk to a large, oven safe pan or pot, and bring it to a boil.  
2. Once cashew milk is boiling, add pasta and dijon mustard, and cook the pasta about 2 minutes fewer than the box’s directions for al dente pasta.
3. Reduce heat to low.
4. Slowly sprinkle the flour into the pasta and cashew milk mixture, and stir well until there are no lumps and the sauce becomes thicker and smooth.
5. Reserve roughly 1/2 c of cheese to sprinkle on top and stir in cheese and thyme until everything melts together.  
6. Add sliced chicken and diced ham.  Mix everything together.
7. Taste, and add salt if necessary
8. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
9. Optional: Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden.

Notes

This dish can be made ahead, covered with aluminum foil, and stored in the fridge.  Reheat at 350° with aluminum foil covering the dish for about 30-35 minutes.  Remove foil, and cook for an additional 10 minutes.  If you plan on cooking ahead, increase the cashew milk used in the recipe to 7 cups because some will be absorbed by the pasta.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

12 ounces (about 2 cups)
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 553Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 888mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 5gSugar: 3gProtein: 57g

Did you try this recipe and like it? Let me know in the comments! Make sure you tag me @dwardcooks and use the #dwardcooks hashtag if sharing on Instagram. 

Looking for more pasta recipes?

Below you can find come of my other favorite ways to eat pasta on WW:

• Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet
• One Pot Alfredo
• Italian Sausage Pasta Bake
• Sun dried Tomato Alfredo