This creamy chicken mushroom pasta bake with spinach is a comforting and delicious dinner recipe with simple steps and comes together quickly with an easy and creamy sauce and quick baking time.
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This cream chicken pasta bake recipe never fails to impress my guests when I'm hosting a dinner party! Everyone loves how comforting it is, and especially enjoys the creamy cheese sauce. They have to try to make room for dessert because everyone grabs a second slice!
My boyfriend and I also love making it on Sunday night for dinner so we have some leftovers during the week! It makes for a less hectic week when you can grab some tasty leftovers to eat and not have to cook!!
Recipe Ingredients
- Pasta Noodles: This recipe uses large shell pasta noodles, but any pasta will work!
- Butter: The butter caramelizes the chicken, onion and mushrooms and gives them a delicious flavor.
- Chicken: The chicken is a hearty protein that adds comfort to the dish and complements the other ingredients.
- Onions: The onions add flavor to the dish.
- Mushrooms: The mushrooms give this recipe a tasty umami flavour (just like it does in our creamy mushroom soup!)
- Flour: The flour helps the sauce thicken.
- Milk: This chicken mushroom pasta casserole is made with warm 2% milk.
- Garlic Powder: The garlic powder gives the dish flavor.
- Salt & Pepper: A pinch of salt and pepper enhances the overall flavor of the dish.
- Spinach: Spinach gives the dish flavor and color.
- Mozzarella: Mozzarella cheese makes the pasta bake super cheesy.
See the recipe card below for the ingredient measurements.
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Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sautee: Heat a large pan on medium heat and add ¼ cup of butter. Once the butter melts, add the chicken and cook it until it is no longer pink and has slightly browned. Scoop out the chicken and add the onions and mushrooms and cook until they're soft, crispy, and the mushrooms have shrunk significantly. Add the chicken back in and remove it from the heat.
- Boil the pasta: Cook the pasta in a large pot following the package directions.
- Make the sauce: Add ¼ cup of butter to a small pot on low heat. Once melted, add the flour and constantly stir until paste-like, about 1 minute. Slowly add the warm milk and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir vigorously until the mixture has slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir in 3 cups of mozzarella until melted, then the spinach, and then pour the sauce into the pan and mix with the chicken mixture.
- Bake: Transfer the cooked pasta to a 9x13 baking dish, pour the sauce mixture over it, sprinkle it with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella, and bake uncovered on the middle rack for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt and slightly golden.
Storage and Leftovers
Once cooled, store any leftover chicken casserole covered with tinfoil in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze this pasta bake in an airtight container(s) for up to 3 months and defrost and reheat in the microwave.
Alternative Ingredients
- Rotisserie Chicken: To make this recipe even easier, you could swap cooking the chicken for some shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Ricotta Cheese: To make this recipe even creamier, consider adding in blobs of ricotta cheese before topping with the mozzarella.
- Light Cream: To make this extra creamy, swap the milk for light cream such as half and half (10%).
- Parsley: Garnish with fresh parsley for fresh flavor that'll cut some of the heaviness from the dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use whatever mushrooms you prefer! This recipe has been tested with basic white mushrooms and cremini but you could also use something like portabello too!
Yes you can make this recipe with any chicken such as thighs, rotisserie, etc.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this with a tasty appetizer like classic tomato basil bruschetta or roasted cherry tomato bruschetta. This pasta recipe also goes great with a light and refreshing side salad to balance the alfredo sauce's creaminess in the pasta dish.
Related Recipes
If you love comforting pasta bake recipes, try this mozzarella and pesto pasta bake, Italian sausage and spinach pasta bake, ricotta and mozzarella penne pasta bake, spaghetti casserole with cream cheese, creamy mac and cheese bake, and this tortellini sausage casserole too!
Print📖 Recipe
Creamy Chicken Mushroom Pasta Bake with Spinach
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8
Description
This creamy chicken mushroom pasta bake with spinach is easy, tasty, and perfect for sharing!
Ingredients
- Butter: ½ cup
- Skinless Chicken Breasts: 2 breasts, cut into ½ inch cubes
- Onions: 1, diced
- Mushrooms: 1 pound, sliced
- Pasta Shells (or any pasta noodles): 1 pound
- Flour: 3 tablespoons
- Warm Milk: 3 cups
- Garlic Powder: 1 teaspoon
- Salt: ½ teaspoon
- Pepper: ¼ teaspoon
- Mozzarella Cheese: 4 cups
- Frozen Spinach: 1 cup, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sautee: Heat a large pan on medium heat and add ¼ cup of butter. Once the butter melts, add the chicken and cook it until it is no longer pink and has slightly browned. Scoop out the chicken and add the onions and mushrooms and cook until they're soft, crispy, and the mushrooms have shrunk significantly. Add the chicken back in and remove it from the heat.
- Boil the pasta: Cook the pasta in a large pot following the package directions.
- Make the sauce: Add ¼ cup of butter to a small pot on low heat. Once melted, add the flour and constantly stir until paste-like, about 1 minute. Slowly add the warm milk and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir vigorously until the mixture has slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir in 3 cups of mozzarella until melted, then the spinach, and then pour the sauce into the pan and mix with the chicken mixture.
- Bake: Transfer the cooked pasta to a 9x13 baking dish, pour the sauce mixture over it, sprinkle it with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella, and bake uncovered on the middle rack for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt and slightly golden.
Notes
Cook the pasta noodles a few minutes less than the package says (to al dente) because after boiling the pasta it still needs to bake and you don't want to overcook it because it'll become mushy.
Fix sticky noodles. After draining the noodles, if they start sticking to each other just rinse them with some water and they will easily release from one another.
Opt for block mozzarella. Pre-shredded mozzarella is fine, but if you shred it yourself, it melts better.
Nutrition facts are for informational purposes only. We are not responsible for any errors. We have tested the recipe for accuracy, but your results may vary. Please note that this is not medical or nutrition advice. Seek advice from a licensed professional if you need advice. We are not liable for any damages caused by your use of this content.
Andrea says
I love making this pasta bake for sunday night dinners and having easy leftovers during the work week! It's also so comforting, so it's a recipe I often make during the cool months 🙂 Let me know what you think of it!
Dave says
Is 2 chicken breasts 2 whole breasts or 2 half breasts?
Andrea says
Hi Dave, 2 whole chicken breasts 🙂