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Creamy Chicken Pasta with Spinach and Fontina Cheese

Baked Chicken Pasta with Spinach

Karen Tedesco
Italian-style creamy chicken and pasta casserole baked with spinach and gooey melted cheese. A perfect one-dish dinner for a cozy night in.
4.72 from 21 votes
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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Course Pasta
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6 servings
Calories 461 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound (450 g) spinach or other leafy greens
  • ½ pound (225 g) dried short pasta such as mezze rigatoni or penne
  • 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon (15 g) chopped garlic
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 cup (140 g) cooked chicken in bite-sized pieces
  • ⅓ cup (55 g) grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup (44 g) shredded Fontina, Monterey Jack or Havarti cheese
  • 2 tablespoons (30 g) butter
US Customary - Metric

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 475 (245 C) degrees.
  • Bring a large pot of water (5 or 6 quarts) to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt.
  • Drop 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.
  • Parboil the pasta in the boiling water until halfway cooked, 7-10 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the pasta. Drain.
  • Stir together cream, garlic, salt, pepper, chicken, spinach and the cheeses in a large bowl. Add drained pasta and mix together.
  • Smear the butter over a 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Transfer pasta mixture to the gratin dish.
  • Bake 12 minutes or so, until the cream is bubbling and edges of the pasta begin to brown. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • This is a perfect dinner for either a hungry couple or 4 people with a salad on the side. Double up the recipe for a larger crowd, using 2 gratins or one 2-quart baking dish.
  • Leftover roast chicken is ideal for this cheesy baked pasta recipe, or omit the chicken for a vegetarian main dish.
  • Alternatively, you can roast a large bone-in, skin-on chicken breast half for 25 minutes at 425 degrees. Cool and shred the meat.

Nutrition

Calories: 461kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 21gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 16gSodium: 538mgPotassium: 642mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 8040IUVitamin C: 22mgCalcium: 295mgIron: 3mg