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Fontina Chicken and Pasta Bake

It's another typical winter in Texas - one week it's in single digits, and the next week everyone's wearing short sleeves. You gotta love it.

This week's dish jumps around a little like that too. I haven't made a casserole in a minute, instead focusing on cold weather meals like soups and stews. But with the weather warming for a little bit, I figured it was time to bring out a casserole. Besides, the casserole dishes were starting to get a little lonely sitting in the cupboard.

This dish definitely fits the premise of this website, which is to try new things. Believe it or not, this is the first time I've ever tried cooking with spinach. I've occasionally had a dish with spinach in it, but never made anything myself... until now.

So how did it turn out? My taste testers who are big fans of eating cooked spinach all gave it a thumbs-up of approval. Me? I thought it was okay too, but again I'm not one who eats cooked spinach on a regular basis. Would I make it again? Probably, but I might reduce the amount of spinach a bit until I develop more of a taste for it.

Adapted from Taste of Home

Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Cooking Method:
Courses: ,
Difficulty: Beginner
Servings: 8
Best Season: Suitable throughout the year
Description

This dish is filled with chicken, cheese, pasta, and spinach to make an all-around meal. It's my first attempt at cooking with spinach, and my reviewers said I did a great job. I don't each spinach much, and I thought it was good as well.

Adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients
  • 16 oz rotini pasta, uncooked
  • 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 8 oz sliced mushrooms
  • 4 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted (10.75 oz each)
  • 1 1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
  • 2 cup Fontina cheese, shredded (see notes)
  • 1 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 12 oz fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
  • 1 can petite diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
Instructions
  1. 1

    Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare the pasta according to package directions, cooking to al dente. Drain and set aside.

  2. 2

    In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add half of the chicken and saute for 3-5 minutes until no longer pink. Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside. Repeat for the second half of the chicken, cooking and also setting aside.

  3. 3

    In the same skillet, add the remaining oil and the mushrooms, cooking for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute. Add the condensed soup, chicken broth, and 1 cup of cheese, and stir to combine. Add oregano, pepper, spinach, and tomatoes, and mix thoroughly. Add the drained pasta and cooked chicken and stir until well blended.

  4. 4

    Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 casserole dish and top with remaining cheese (dish will be very full). Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes or until heated through.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 8

Serving Size about 2 cups

Amount Per Serving
Calories 688kcal
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 27.8g43%
Saturated Fat 8.4g43%
Cholesterol 132mg44%
Sodium 1189mg50%
Potassium 988mg29%
Total Carbohydrate 54.5g19%
Dietary Fiber 5.7g23%
Sugars 5g
Protein 54.5g110%
Calcium 210 mg
Iron 10 mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Notes
  • If Fontina cheese is not available, any of the following can be substituted:
    • Gruyere
    • Provolone
    • Gouda
    • Emmental 
  • The recipe as originally published called for splitting into two 8 x 8 dishes, which would yield 4 servings each. This is because the dish freezes well and was described as a "eat now, freeze for later" friendly meal.
  • Petite diced tomatoes were used for convenience; the recipe as published called for "two medium tomatoes, chopped".
  • Cheese was increased from 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups to provide a more complete topping.
Keywords: fontina, cheese, chicken, pasta, spinach, bake, casserole, gruyere
Read it online: https://www.miketriesanewrecipe.com/recipe/fontina-chicken-and-pasta-bake/