Chicken and Spinach Rigatoni Casserole

heather in Ont,'s Note:

Quick, easy and delicious. The recipe calls for 4 garlic cloves, but I only added 2 and should have added 3-4 cloves. I also added more parmesan because of preference. This is a hit with the kids. My friend Kathy sent me this recipe and now I am indebted to her forever.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 10 ounces rigatoni pasta (uncooked)
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped
• 1 (20 ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 1/4 teaspoons dried basil
• 3/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, crushed
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to pkg directions and drain.
2. Place spinach on paper towel and squeeze until barely moist.
3. Add oil to a large non stick skillet and place over medium heat until hot.
4. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender.
5. Add chicken and cook until it loses its pink colour, stirring constantly.
6. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes.
7. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat.
8. Simmer 5 minutes, uncovered stirring occasionally.
9. Combine pasta, spinach, chicken mixture and 1/4 cup cheese in a bowl; stir well.
10. Spoon into 13 X 9 baking dish coated with cooking spray.
11. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese over the top.
12. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.
13. Makes 8 servings.

Reviews

[Zeldaz]

Tasty, called for things I needed to use up, like some partially cooked chicken thighs and fresh baby spinach. I prepped it in advance, draining the pasta water into a bowl containing the raw spinach leaves, which wilted them so I could squeeze them and chop them. Then, the same pan I used to boil the pasta was used to make the sauce and finish cooking the chicken. Because I cut the recipe in half, I used a 10 ounce can of Rotel, plus about 1/2 cup of leftover juice from canned tomatoes for another dish, and skipped the peperoncino flakes because of the chile in the Rotel. Mixed in some creamy Bulgarian feta which had to be used, in addition to the cheese called for. Some olives would also be a good addition to this.

[stormylee]

For me, the recipe needs salt. ;-) I used well-seasoned chicken in this and combined the 1/2 cup of cheese with the rest of the ingredients, adding some more cheese on top. Perfect! Lovely combo of ingredients and a great way to eat your spinach! Thank you Heather!

[Livelymommie]

both kids loved it and they hate everything!