Baked Spaghetti With Chicken and Spinach

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Servings: 2

    • About This Recipe

    “One of our favourite ways to serve spaghetti, leaves a nice tingle. Serve with a fresh green salad and crusty rolls.”

    Ingredients

  • 4ouncesspaghetti
  • 2boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut in bite size pieces
  • 1tablespoonolive oil
  • 3garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1/2 cupred onion, chopped
  • 2cupspacked fresh spinach

    • Sauce

  • 1 (14ounce) cans stewed tomatoes( Italian style)
  • 1/2 teaspoondried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoondried tarragon
  • 1dashsalt
  • 1/4 teaspooncrushed red pepper flakes
  • 2tablespoonsfresh parsley
  • 2garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cupgrated parmesan cheese

    • Topping

  • 1/4 cupparmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cupsharp cheddar cheese

    • Directions

  • Cook spaghetti, al dente, drain and set aside.
  • Heat oil in large saucepan.
  • Add garlic and onion, cook until soft, but not browned.
  • Add chicken, brown on all sides, turning often, until no longer pink.
  • Sauce: In a blender or food processor, add stewed tomatoes, basil, tarragon, salt, chili flakes, parsley, garlic and cheese.
  • Pulse until just chunky, not smooth.
  • Add sauce to chicken mixture.
  • Stir and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Line an oven proof casserole with the spinach.
  • Lay the spaghetti over the spinach.
  • Pour the chicken/sauce mixture over the spaghetti.
  • Bring a spoon up through the layers to mix lightly and turn the spinach throughout.
  • Sprinkle cheeses on top and add another dash of chili flakes if desired.
  • Bake at 400°F for 20 to 30 minutes.

    • Reviews

  • “I was looking for a traditional baked spaghetti recipe but this sounded good so I gave it a try. It was GREAT! I used diced tomatoes and added some sweetener (too much) so next time I will be sure to use the Italian stewed tomatoes. In spite of the sweetness my husband and I both loved it. I am lookinf forward to making this again. I skipped the whole chopping, blending of the sauce ingredients and it was still great.”

  • “This was delicious, and I also skipped the blending process and took the suggestion to use Italian stewed tomoatoes.Great flavour, although found it a little too garlicky.Next time will use less garlic and more chicken, tomatoes and spinach!”

  • “This is a great recipe! I switch the flakes for a fresh, chopped chili, the tarragon and parsley for plenty of dried oregano, and use creme fraiche in the sauce instead of parmesan. Thinking about making a vegetarian version of this with mushrooms, or perhaps a fish one with salmon. Salmon and spinach is always a good combo.”

  • “Family loved it!Will definitely make again.Substituted Mozz cheese for sharp cheddar and was still good.”

  • “Good and easy to make…doubled up on sauce, spices and noodles for family of 5 w/room for leftovers. I would wait to add salt on top of cheese after done cooking if it needs it.”

  • “This was really delicious. Loved the slight spiciness with the red pepper. I’ll definitely make this again and again.”

  • “This was ok.More spicy than I thought it would be.I’d go with about 1/2 the red pepper flakes and then add to taste.”

  • “i can’t believe i forgot to review this!i made this quite some time ago and this was fantastic!i enjoyed the flavor and you’re right about the tingle.we thought this is a nice change to the ordinary baked spaghetti.i kicked up the amount of crushed pepper. loved the addition of tarragon.thanks for posting!this is a comforting keeper casserole!”

  • “Very quick, easy & delicious. I did make extra sauce as the other reviewers recommended so that the leftovers would be a little moister. I also folded everything together at the end in one big bowl before putting it the casserole since I made a big mess trying to do it the other way. 🙂 Served it with French bread and a salad. Great recipe, derf.”

  • “Pretty good.I used ground beef instead of chicken.The sauce is excellent!”

  • “I have made this twice now and my whole family loves it. I did make it for 8 and adjusted the ingredients to match the servings. The sauce is somewhat time consuming but well worth the effort.I used 1/2 of 1-5oz box of frozen spinach. (This was for 8 servings not 2)”

  • “Based on some of the other reviews, I doubled the sauce ingredients.I also used frozen spinach instead of fresh.Great homestyle spaghetti casserole.”

  • “I really did like this.I used 10 ozs of frozen spinach (I warmed it up in a sauce pan and pressed out most of the liquid.)I ran into alittle problem though.It was not clear what to do with the sauted onions and garlic;I put them in with the sauce.Also, I really would have liked a lot more sauce, maybe even twice as much.I did really appreciate a dish where I could getin a lot of veggies.”

  • “This is so yummy!! I followed the recipe exactly, and next time I think I’m going to double it so I can have leftovers for work lunches. Can’t wait to make it again!!”

  • “This is really yummy! I followed the recipe exactly. Next time I’ll add more spinach because it cooks down a lot. I’m making this again tomorrow night. THANKS!”

  • “This was sooooo good! I will definately be making this one again! Plus – both of my toddler boys gobbled it up, and to see them enjoying spinach in their meal was great!”

  • “5 stars and more! I used tomatoes from my small garden that I had roasted with Italian spices, garlic and onion. Added to your “sauce” instructions in place of a can of stewed tomatoes.What an excellent recipe – We loved it!Can’t wait to serve this dish to family and friends.Thanks for posting, Derf! M. Joan”

  • “I doubled the recipe to make 4 servings, but used 3 cans stewed tomatoes and did not double the parm cheese in the sauce or sprinkle the parm on top. I also did not mix the layers, put the pasta (I used bucatini) on the bottom, then the spinach and then the chicken/sauce so it came out almost like a lasagne. I added a splash of red wine to the sauce beacuse I always do and used colby/jack on top because that’s what I had. I really enjoyed this, thanks for sharing! “

  • “Very easy dish to make.I used exactly the ingredients called for but, like the others, I skipped the blending part (just mixed until well blended)…worked out great! We’ll be making this often.Thanks for posting, Derf!M&Mers “

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