Recipe: Chicken and Spinach Pasta Bake

I'm on a new recipe kick.  So if they are cheap, easy, and kid-tested, taste-bud approved, I will send them your way.

 

I bought a bunch of spinach to make Chicken Parmesan Roll-Ups (recipe to come! It's one of my favorites!) and I still had a lot of spinach left over.

 

I saved the left over spinach and used half on our pizza (with alfredo sauce, chicken, and bacon--yum!) and the other half I used to make a new recipe. 

 

Searched on pinterest for a spinach recipe and this one looked good to me.  It was easy and a nice one dish casserole.  It was a winner for us!

 

 

Chicken Spinach Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

-8 oz uncooked rigatoni (I used bowtie)

-1 T olive oil

-1 c chopped onion

-1 (10 oz) pack frozen spinach, thawed (I used fresh and just chopped with kitchen scissors)

-3 c cubed, cooked chicken breasts

-1 (14 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained (I used plain style and just added in a bunch of Italian seasonings)

-1 (8 oz) container chive & onion cream cheese (I used plain.  I'm sure it would have tasted even better and much more flavorful with the chive and onion, but I was just trying to save $)

-½ t salt, ½ t pepper

-1½ c shredded mozzarella cheese

 

 

Directions:

1. Sautee onion with oil in frying pan. 

2. Boil noodles

3. Mix everything together, but save the mozzarella for the top.

4. Spread evenly in a 9x13 and sprinkle mozzarella on top.

 

5. Bake COVERED at 375 for 30 minutes

6. Bake UNCOVERED at 375 for 15 minutes

 

I followed the directions exact other than the onions--original recipe tells you to bake in oven.  I sautéed mine because I didn't want the oven on to heat the house.  It was yummy and a great way to use spinach up!

Next time cream cheese is on sale I will try to grab some chive and onion to see if that makes a difference in the flavor.