Combine a bunch of basic ingredients to make chicken and spinach alfredo bake with ingredients that are often found in the kitchen.
Jump to RecipeI love alfredo sauce. Especially my homemade sauce. But it’s even better when I can use it in a variety of ways to make new meals. This was a meal that we came up with during the COVID19 pandemic. We were trying to limit visits to grocery stores which meant a lot of “pantry week” meals.
One of those times, I was looking at all the food we had. What needed to be used first? We almost always have some chicken in the freezer. And there was spinach in the refrigerator that was going to go bad soon. I tend to have half-full boxes of pasta in the pantry a lot. The boys don’t eat a lot of pasta, so it leaves me with bits here and there.
So, put all that together with some of the cheese we had and we have the ingredients for chicken and spinach alfredo! I decided it needed to be in a casserole to make it easier. Plus, there was a lot of it.

Step by Step
Preheat the oven to 400F. In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook for about 6 minutes then add the spinach.

Cook for 2 minutes, until the spinach is wilted. Drain and place the pasta and spinach mixture in a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle with the salt and pepper then add to the pan. Cook for about 8 minutes. Or until the chicken is cooked through.

Add the chicken to the pasta mixture.

Lower the heat to medium and place the green onion in the warm pan. Cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in the lemon zest and juice.

Combine the milk, flour, and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese in a bowl.

Add the milk mixture to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

Add the milk mixture to the pasta mixture and toss to coat.

Spoon the pasta mixture into a casserole dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and panko.


Bake for about 8-10 minutes.

Leftovers
Cover any leftover chicken and spinach alfredo bake in the casserole dish or move to a container. Refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, place back in the oven for about 5 minutes, until heated through. Or you can add a small amount of milk and warm it in a saucepan over medium heat.

Recipe
Originally Published On: September 28, 2020

Chicken and Spinach Alfredo Bake Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 6 oz penne pasta (uncooked)
- 2 oz spinach (chopped)
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)
- 6 green onions (chopped)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- 1 1/2 tbsp panko
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F
- In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil and add the pasta
- Cook for about 6 minutes then add the spinach
- Cook for 2 minutes, until the spinach is wilted
- Drain and place the pasta and spinach mixture in a large mixing bowl
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle with the salt and pepper then add to the pan
- Cook for about 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through
- Add the chicken to the pasta mixture
- Lower the heat to medium and place the green onion in the warm pan
- Cook for 2 minutes
- Stir in the lemon zest and juice
- Combine the milk, flour, and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese in a bowl
- Add the milk mixture to the pan and bring to a boil
- Cook for 2 minutes or until the sauce has thickened
- Add the milk mixture to the pasta mixture and toss to coat
- Spoon the pasta mixture into a casserole dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and panko
- Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until the panko starts to brown and cheese is melted
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
I love meals like this to take to friends who just had babies! I am totally goingto make this for our next friend who has one!
You’re right, it would be perfect for something like that!
Oooh, this looks super yummy and easy to make. It would be a great meal for next week, I’m going to try it out!
I hope you enjoy it! We loved it here.
This looks absolutely delicious and we’re just entering into cozy casserole season so I’ll be pulling this one out again!
Yes! I love cozy casserole season 🙂
You can’t beat a pasta bake for comfort food. This looks delicious.
Comfort food is the best 🙂
So comforting and delicious. It was a hit with the whole family. Thank you for an awesome recipe.
Yay! I’m glad your family enjoyed it as much as we did.
This is a great recipe to meal prep for the week – comforting and holds up really well as leftovers!
The leftovers are delicious! It’s also great to pack as a lunch to take to work if you have a way to heat it up easily.
I am so keen to try this casserole. It has got my favorite ingredients, and it looks stunning!
It sounds like you will love it then!
I’m a vegetarian so I tried this recipe without the chicken…it came out so delicious, even my meat-loving husband and son ate it and asked for seconds. I prepared a tossed salad as a side dish and we were good to go. We had an amazing meal!
Easy and delicious pasta recipe to make for everyone. I love it, and my husband will def enjoy it.
Yummo! This is the perfect meal for my family and for me. I have five kids so anything I can make that’s easy and will feed an army is always welcome.
I really like the idea of pantry week meals. It’s a really great way to use up the ingredients we have at home and stick to our food budget. This casserole is the perfect comfort food! Have to give this recipe a try soon.
Now this sounds like one of those meals which is just perfect for the colder months. Really warming and hearty. Definitely something I will have to try myself.
This dish comes together in a few minutes, and it makes a delicious supper that goes well with some crusty bread!
This Chicken and Spinach Alfredo Bake Casserole is perfect for dinner. It’s a great option for a busy night.
I love how you make this Casserole. I love the ingredients used too. I cannot wait to try it
We tried this before and it tastes really good. We looking to make it again. Thank you for sharing a tutorial on how to make it.
Drooling over this delicious casserole. Making this soon for dinner.
wow so delicious and easy recipe. Thanks for sharing with us.
Wow that looks absolutely delicious And tasty I would really like to try this awesome recipe
I love a good casserole. I think I even have all the ingredients.
This looks so good! I might make this next week. Thank you for sharing!
Nnnniiiiccceeeee….the sound of chicken and spinach is a great one, in my ears. I must give it a try. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
What a good idea to turn it into a bake. I already know this would be a big hit at my house.
Wow! I have never tried this. Loved this recipe.
Simple to make and SO yummy – that’s how it looks like! Is it true? Will find out at tomorrow’s lunch time 😊 Thanks for sharing!
This is good food, I’m literally drooling here! Looks so yummy 😋
Such a tasty recipe. It became my favor. Gotta try it ASAP
Just made this for lunch, it was amazing, thank you so much.