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This chicken alfredo no-boil pasta bake is the perfect gluten and dairy-free dinner! It’s made with gluten-free pasta and a cauliflower alfredo sauce.

A baking dish of chicken alfredo no-boil pasta bake.

Chicken Alfredo No-Boil Pasta Bake

Classic Alfredo Sauce is a creamy, white sauce that is commonly served with pasta and traditionally made with butter, cream, and cheese. It is common in many Italian restaurants.

This recipe combines the cauliflower based sauce that has a lot of flavor from garlic, onion, and nutritional yeast with chicken and gluten-free pasta! It is also a no-boil recipe making it the perfect easy dinner!

The Ingredients for the Gluten-free Chicken Alfredo

  • Cauliflower Florets, Chicken Broth, Coconut Milk, Lemon Juice, Arrowroot Starch, and Nutritional Yeast. These ingredients blend together to make the delicious sauce!
  • Gluten-Free Pasta. I use this pasta, but sub jovial cassava pasta for AIP.
  • Chicken. Cubed or shredded cooked chicken works.
  • Dried Oregano, Garlic Powder, and Onion Powder. These seasonings help flavor the dish.
  • Salt and Black Pepper. You can omit the pepper for AIP.
  • Spinach.
  • Shredded Dairy-Free Cheese and Parsley. To top the dish. Both optional but recommended!

How to make Gluten-free Chicken Alfredo No-Boil Pasta Bake

  • Steam the cauliflower. Add the cauliflower florets to a pot and add 1-2″ of water. Cover and steam until tender. Strain all of the water, allow it to cool slightly, and add the cauliflower to a blender.
  • Combine the sauce. Pour the broth, coconut milk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and arrowroot starch into the blender and blend with the cauliflower until smooth.
  • Combine the pasta. Add the pasta to the baking dish along with the chicken and seasonings.

A baking dish full of pasta.

  • Add the sauce. Pour the liquid over the pasta and stir to combine.

A baking dish with ingredients prior to baking.

  • Bake. Cover the baking dish in foil or another cover and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and uncover. Add the spinach and stir to wilt. At first, the pasta dish will look like there’s too much liquid but continue to stir and the liquid will thicken from the starch of the pasta!
  • Top with cheese and bake if desired and serve!

 

A plate with a serving of chicken alfredo no-boil pasta bake.

Tips & Tricks

  • Stir, stir, stir! Once the pasta comes out of the oven, it will look like there’s too much liquid. Keep stirring! A lot of the excess liquid will thicken into a creamy sauce once it’s stirred with the starch from the pasta. If you use a less starchy pasta and find it’s still liquidy, you can add a small amount of arrowroot starch to thicken further.
  • Watch the pasta cook time. If you use a different pasta than the Jovail cassava pasta, just be cautious of over or under-cooking. I find that the jovial cassava pasta and chickpea pasta cook faster, so you’ll likely need 5 minutes less.

Can you use other pasta shapes for this recipe?

Yes! Both fusilli and elbow pasta are great options for this recipe.

Can you make this recipe with cassava pasta or other gluten-free kinds of pasta?

You can, but you want to watch the cook time as the cook time varies for all different varieties.

Can you make this recipe without cheese on top?

This recipe works without any extra cheese (dairy-free or not) on top. It still has a cheesy flavor and creamy sauce.

A baking dish of chicken alfredo no-boil pasta bake.

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Chicken Alfredo No Boil Pasta Bake {Gluten Free, Paleo & AIP Option}

  • Author: Michelle
  • Yield: 10 servings 1x
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Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 cup cauliflower florets
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups canned coconut milk
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 2 tsp arrowroot starch
  • 3–4 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 12 oz gluten-free pasta, uncooked (I use this, sub jovial cassava pasta for AIP)
  • 2 cups chicken, cooked (cubed or shredded)
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper (omit for AIP)
  • 2 cups spinach, chopped
  • 1/2 cups shredded dairy-free cheese (optional but recommended, like this)
  • 2 tbsp parsley, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400F and lightly grease a 9×13″ casserole dish.
  2. Add the cauliflower florets to a pot and add 1-2″ of water. Cover and steam until tender. Strain all of the water, allow it to cool slightly, and add the cauliflower to a blender.
  3. Pour the broth, coconut milk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and arrowroot starch into the blender and blend with the cauliflower until smooth.
  4. Add the pasta to the baking dish along with the chicken and seasonings. Pour the liquid over the pasta and stir to combine.
  5. Cover the baking dish in foil or another cover and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and uncover. Add the spinach and stir to wilt. At first, the pasta dish will look like there’s too much liquid but continue to stir and the liquid will thicken from the starch of the pasta!
  6. Top with optional cheese if desired and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with parsley to serve.

Notes

All nutrition facts are estimated and will vary.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 242
  • Fat: 13.3g
  • Carbohydrates: 17.2g
  • Fiber: 1.7g
  • Protein: 16.1g