I’m always looking for new casserole or bake type dinners to serve my family. A little meat, a little veggie and whatever else goes good together and you’ve usually got a yummy meal that everyone can enjoy, any night of the week. These types of meals are always simple and comforting. I made this Cheesy Chicken & Tri Colored Rotini Bake this week and we just loved it!
I usually stock up on Colored Rotini for my family’s favorite Italian Tuna Pasta Salad. As I was doing a little Spring Cleaning this week through my pantry, I noticed that I had a few packages of this pasta on my top shelf. Sure, pasta doesn’t really go bad, but I thought it would be nice to use this in something a little different.
I cooked the pasta until al dente and then set it aside. Then I sauteed a little onion and garlic in a little olive oil in my skillet until softened. Then I slowly added my chicken broth.
I added the chopped, squeezed dry spinach along with the ricotta cheese and gave everything a good stir over medium heat.
Oh, it smelled so good! 🙂
I then added the cooked rotini pasta and the chopped chicken breast (from my make ahead Perfectly Roasted Chicken Breast or a rotisserie chicken), then tossed everything together well.
I poured the mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish, topped with more cheese and baked in the oven to melt the cheese and heat everything through well for 20 minutes. Yum!
This tasty and simple bake is wonderful served with a fresh salad or a loaf of garlic bread for a nice family meal, even on busy weeknights.
You can even prepare this meal ahead of time and freeze it before baking. It’s always nice to have a whole meal… a homemade meal, ready to go in your freezer for those nights when you just don’t feel like cooking.
I hope your family puts this recipe on your menu soon & enjoys it as much as we do!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Tri Colored Rotini Pasta, cooked according to package directions, drained
- 2 -3 cups cooked, chopped chicken breast
- 1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 2-3 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 (15 oz.) container part skim Ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly grated black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- * You can use Italian Blend Shredded Cheese too.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, drain (do not rinse) and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the extra virgin olive oil and saute the onion and garlic until translucent.
- Slowly add the vegetable or chicken stock and continue stirring.
- Turn the heat to low and add the squeezed dry spinach and the ricotta cheese and stir.
- Season with salt and pepper, stir and turn off heat..
- Add the pasta and chicken to the skillet.
- Toss well and then pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Top with the cheeses and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the bake is heated through. Do not over cook, you don't want it to dry out.
- Serve immediately with crusty bread.
- Serves 6.
- *To freeze: Prepare as usual, but do not bake. Cool completely, cover and store in the freezer. When you are ready to bake this, defrost overnight in the refrigerator and bake as usual. It may require a bit more cooking time depending on your freezer and refrigerator settings.
- Enjoy!
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