Chicken 'n' Spinach Pasta Bake

"Easy, flavorful family food from Southern Living."
 
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photo by Jonathan Melendez photo by Jonathan Melendez
photo by Jonathan Melendez
photo by Mary H. photo by Mary H.
photo by anniesnomsblog photo by anniesnomsblog
photo by anniesnomsblog photo by anniesnomsblog
photo by Mary H. photo by Mary H.
Ready In:
1hr 15mins
Ingredients:
10
Serves:
6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Prepare rigatoni acoording to package directions.
  • Meanwhile, spread oil on bottom of an 11x7" baking dish; add onion in a single layer. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or just until tender. Transfer onion to a large bowl and set aside.
  • Drain thawed spinach well, pressing between layers of paper towls.
  • Stir rigatoni, spinach, chicken and next 4 ingredients into onion in bowl. Spoon mixture into baking dish, and sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarela cheese.
  • Bake, covered, at 375 degrees for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until bubbly.

Questions & Replies

  1. Will this work with Barilla gf pasta?
     
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Reviews

  1. This was so delicious! What a great use of the chive and onion cream cheese. My husband said it was five stars. I agree with TheBabblingHousewife that this could use a little more moisture. This dish was so yummy that I'm going to make it for a friend on Friday when she comes home from the hospital. But, I will add marinara or sour cream and garlic salt. I did not drain my diced tomatoes. I also seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper before cooking it. I also mixed the cheese in with the pasta as well as topped it after 30 minutes with more cheese. It only stayed in the oven for about 3 minutes the second time in. Yum yum. Thanks!
     
  2. I added a small jar of Ragu Traditional Spaghetti sauce over the top, before topping with Mozarella shredded cheese....AWESOME! My family loved it!!
     
  3. Kathy, this was indeed a restaurant quality dish. I thought I was eating at a fine Italian eatery. Thanks for sharing!
     
  4. I LOVE pasta bakes and this one was incredible! I loved that it wasn't weighed down by a heavy sauce. The cream cheese gave it a great flavor. It was awesome.
     
  5. Really yummy and a great way to have some great spinach! :) I used whole grain pasta and low-fat cheese. I omitted the tomatoes. Next time, I might like it a bit creamier so I might add some ricotta or extra cream cheese. It's a keeper!
     
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Tweaks

  1. Being a vegetarian household I substituted the chicken for artichoke. Was absolutely delicious
     
  2. Very good! As mentioned in the previous reviews, the mixture was pretty dry so I added about a 3/4 cup of Greek yogurt. I also just had regular cream cheese, so I added a large amount of chopped fresh chives (the best part of the dish, i thought). Because I used low-fat cheeses and doubled the amount of spinach, I had to add several teaspoons of adobo seasoning for flavor. It turned out perfectly, and next time I'd love to try this with tuna instead of chicken.
     
  3. Yummy! Have made once before and served last night to guests. Went very well. I have made as the variation in the Southern Living Annual Recipe Book, but instead of bulk sausage I used smoked Italian sausage and sliced it. Easy and tastes great. I did not have trouble with it drying out, but I used more cheese on top to make sure all the pasta was covered. I do not drain the tomatoes, and it comes out moist, but not runny.
     
  4. This dish had a good flavor but was a bit dry for us. I used canned spinach instead of frozen and canned chicken. If I make it again, I will double the sauce ingredients. Thank you.
     
  5. GREAT! I omitted the onions as requested by my husband and had just used the last of my mozzarella so I used cheddar instead. Tomato and spinach complement each other so well and the cream cheese added the perfect creamy touch. Thanks for posting!!
     

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