Chicken Pasta CasseroleĀ is a simple dinner made from pre-ready ingredients like rotisserie chicken and frozen tortellini. It's ready in 30 minutes and uses only 1 pan for easy clean up and quick preparation.
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We are huge fans of quick dinners, especially those made with little prep time or dirtying of utensils, bowls, and cutting boards. This simple, yet mouth-watering Chicken Pasta Casserole checks all of these boxes. It's a go-to recipe that's one of our favorites next to easy buttered spaghetti and fettuccine alfredo.
This recipe takes torn spinach, frozen tortellini and rotisserie chicken and bakes it with a creamy garlic alfredo sauce made with butter, heavy cream, milk, and parmesan. There are many recipes for pasta casseroles that call for pre-cooking the pasta or the sauce on the stove prior to adding it to the other ingredients. But not this one! This pasta casserole is truly a one-pot meal.
You'll Love This Chicken and Spinach Pasta Bake Because:
- You can hide veggies in it!
- It preps in 5 minutes and cooks in 20 minutes.
- There is no need to precook the pasta!
- It's a true one-pot quick and easy dinner.
Ingredients
This recipe calls for easy ingredients:
- Rotisserie chicken: or leftover seasoned chicken from another dinner. Or, cook diced chicken in a mix of seasonings and use in place of a rotisserie chicken.
- Frozen tortellini: any variety of frozen tortellini.
- Fresh spinach: chopped and with the stems removed.
- Heavy cream and milk: to make the alfredo sauce
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Butter
- Garlic: fresh minced garlic
Instructions
Chicken pasta casserole is made in 4 easy steps:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and grease the bottom and sides a casserole baking dish with melted butter or olive oil.
- Add chopped spinach, tortellini, and rotisserie chicken to the baking dish and mix with a wooden spoon.
- In a large measuring cup, combine heavy cream, milk, salt, pepper, garlic, and parmesan cheese. Whisk until combined well. Pour into the baking dish and stir to evenly coat the spinach, chicken and tortellini.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. The sauce will thicken during standing time.
- Serve warm, with a side of our favorite homemade fluffy garlic bread.
How To Prepare Ahead Of Time
To prepare ahead of time, follow steps 1 to 3 from above. Store in the fridge covered with foil until ready to bake.
How To Store
Store baked chicken pasta casserole in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! I would recommend squeezing it out between paper towels though for a few minutes to reduce the amount of water. Frozen spinach may make the sauce too watery compared to fresh spinach.
Yes! I use frozen tortellini because they are less expensive than fresh and they are a staple freezer item in my house.
I use whole milk and heavy cream when making alfredo sauce, but if you want a sauce with fewer calories, reduced fat or skim milk will do fine.
Sure! Eliminate the milk, heavy cream, minced garlic, salt and pepper from the ingredient list if using a jar of alfredo sauce.
Tear the spinach into very small pieces so they will be less likely to notice, or use another vegetable that you know they will eat, such as peas, broccoli, asparagus pieces, corn or carrots.
You can also put the veggies on just one side of the baking dish, in case they still refuse to eat them. Then you have a veggie-free meal for the picky ones and a veggie-filled chicken alfredo pasta for the non-picky ones.
Recipe
Chicken Pasta Casserole with Spinach
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter, melted (or use olive oil)
- 24 oz frozen tortellini
- 1 cup rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 1 cup fresh spinach, torn
- 2 cups heavy cream
- Ā½ cup milk
- Ā½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Ā½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and grease the bottom and sides a casserole baking dish with 2 tablespoon butter.
- Add 24 oz frozen tortellini, 1 cup rotisserie chicken1 cup fresh spinach to the baking dish and mix with a wooden spoon.
- In a large measuring cup, combine 2 cups heavy cream, Ā½ cup milk, Ā½ cup grated parmesan cheese, 4 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and Ā½ teaspoon black pepper. Whisk until combined well. Pour into the baking dish and stir to evenly coat the spinach, chicken and tortellini.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. The sauce will thicken during standing time. Serve warm, with a side of your favorite bread.
Nutrition
Colleen says
I used jarred alfredo sauce and everyone loved it. I loved how quick and easy this pasta casserole is for busy weeknights and will make it again.
Sharon says
This is simple comfort food at it's best! I love recipes that use rotisserie chicken because it saves so much time and this one was fantastic.
Sean says
This pasta was a great quick and easy recipe for my family this week when our schedules were packed.
Tammy says
Oooh this is my idea of a cheat meal! ;D Easy to make but so, so comforting! I cannot wait try!
Jacqueline Debono says
Such an easy and delicious weeknight family meal. I added peas as my grandkids don't like spinach!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
I love simple and delicious dinners like this. Just one pan and 30 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner. That sauce is so good! I added more cheese because well, why not?! Definitely a keeper!
Tristin says
This is now my go-to dinner recipe for busy weeknights, it is so easy and my kids loved it!
Enriqueta E Lemoine says
This is comfort food at its best. I don't have little people at home, but everybody loved this casserole. Thank you for the recipe.
Mindy S says
This is the perfect easy dinner recipe! 30 minutes and one pan!? Yes please!
Shelia says
The recipe has good flavor but mine never thickens. What am I doing wrong? I use heavy cream and whole milk but never thickens in 20 minutes.
Maddy says
Hi Shelia! I am glad you like it. If it's not thickening, add a tablespoon of flour or cornstarch to the milk/heavy cream.