Chicken 'n' Spinach Pasta Bake

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Okay...so, you may remember that I have tried a few new recipes this week. Russ and I have actually eaten in every night this week. We celebrated last night by going out to Biaggi's. It was fabulous! We weren't actually "scheduled" to eat out until tonight, but my week at school - a whole other story! - made for quite a stressful workweek. So, we ate out early, and I cooked tonight. I had some requests for recipes, so here's what I cooked tonight: Chicken 'n' Spinach Pasta Bake. SO GOOD!!!


Chicken 'n' Spinach Pasta Bake

8 oz. uncooked rigatoni
1Tbsp. olive oil

1 c finely chopped onion (1 medium)

1 (10oz.) package frozen chopped sinach (thawed)

3 c cubed chicken breast, cooked (around 1 1/2 pounds)

1 (14.5 oz.) can Italian-style diced tomatoes

1 (8 oz.) container chive and onion chream cheese
(I couldn't find this, so I used regular cream cheese with a little onion powder.)
1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 c (6oz.) shredded mozzerella cheese

Cook rigatoni. Spread oil on 11x7 baking dish and add onion in a single layer. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until tender. Set onions aside in large bowl. Drain chopped spinach well, pressing between paper towels. Stir rigatoni, spinach, chicken, and next four ingredients into onion in the bowl. Spoon into baking dish and sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake, covered, at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes until bubbly.

It smelled SOOO good!!! I think you'll be very happy. And it's easy. If I can do it...ANYONE can! :)

I served the pasta bake with Sister Shubert rolls (love her! ha!) and my new favorite thing! My sister-in-law gave me a time-saving idea for salad. I love salads, and I would love them with every meal. So, I've started buying Mixed Spring Greens in a container.


All you do is pull out what you need, close the top, and save the rest for later. I've just used different dressings. I've made my own and used ranch (a classic!). It's SO much easier than chopping lettuce! Thanks Roan for such a great idea!

3 comments:

thehassells said...

rhMegan,
I can't wait to try this recipe! I have loved reading your blog and catching up on your life. It has been way to long. What a blessing you are to your students. Loved all the stories! Hope to see you very soon around town.
Emily Brooks Hassell

Liesa said...

Looks and sounds delicious!

Anonymous said...

I am going to try this- it looks really good!!