Spinach Chicken Pasta Bake

Italian-style creamy chicken and pasta casserole baked with spinach and gooey melted cheese. A perfect one-dish dinner for a cozy night in.

📝 Ingredients

• 1 pound spinach or other leafy greens
• 1/2 pound dried short pasta (such as mezze rigatoni or penne)
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
• 1 cup cooked chicken ( in bite-sized pieces)
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Fontina, Monterey Jack or Havarti cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Heat oven to 475 (245 C) degrees.
2. 2Bring a large pot of water (5 or 6 quarts) to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt.
3. 3Drop spinach into the water and cook 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon to a colander and drain. Put the spinach in a clean kitchen towel (careful, it's hot), roll it up and squeeze over the sink to remove as much water as you can. Chop the spinach.
4. 4Parboil the pasta in the boiling water until halfway cooked, 7-10 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the pasta. Drain.
5. 5Stir together cream, garlic, salt, pepper, chicken, spinach and the cheeses in a large bowl. Add drained pasta and mix together.
6. 6Smear the butter over a 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Transfer pasta mixture to the gratin dish.
7. 7Bake 12 minutes or so, until the cream is bubbling and edges of the pasta begin to brown. Cool 10 minutes before serving.