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The spring casserolePenne · chicken · greens · three cheeses

Jessica · March 2015

Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole

Jessica’s 35-minute casserole turns spinach-artichoke dip logic into a full penne dinner, keeping the original light sour-cream sauce and three-cheese finish.

Bake the casserole
A large pan of baked pasta covered with deeply browned cheese and chopped parsley.
Spencer W. Martin’s baked ziti makes the mozzarella finish visible. It is illustrative: Jessica’s white-sauce casserole uses penne, chicken, spinach, and artichokes rather than tomato sauce.Photo by SpencerWMartin / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0
Serves
4
Prep
10 min
Cook
25 min
Oven
425°F

This is spinach-artichoke dip translated into supper without becoming a bowl of dip. Jessica keeps the balance on the pasta side: twelve ounces of penne against only four ounces of cream cheese and one cup of sour cream, with half a pound of chicken threaded through the greens. Parmesan seasons the coating; mozzarella stays above, where the oven can brown it.

The whole recipe is staged around a single skillet. Onion softens for one minute. Chicken and garlic pick up color. Artichokes and fresh spinach take the last of the direct heat. Only then do the penne and dairy meet, off the burner, before a brief 425°F finish turns a creamy toss into a cohesive casserole.

“An easy and healthy spring recipe for Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole.”

Stop the pasta early

Drain the penne two minutes shy of its package time; the hot skillet and oven still have work to do.

Brown, then build

The chicken takes color with onion and garlic before artichokes and a full five ounces of spinach enter the pan.

Dairy off the heat

Sour cream, softened cream cheese, and Parmesan fold in away from the burner for an even, clingy coating.

Bake only to bronze

The casserole needs 10–15 minutes: enough to finish the chicken and freckle the mozzarella, not dry the sauce.

The 12-ounce mapTube · protein · green · melt

Four roles keep the bake creamy and substantial

The source formula already has a clear hierarchy. Technique protects it: firm pasta, evenly cut chicken, a nearly dry skillet, and softened cheese.

01

Penne with backbone

Twelve ounces make the casserole a dinner rather than a dip, while the ridges and hollow centers carry the light cheese sauce.

Drain when the center is still distinctly firm. The final 425°F bake supplies the last minutes of cooking.
02

Chicken in small measure

Half a pound seasons four portions without crowding out the spinach, artichokes, or pasta.

Cut even bite-size pieces so one center sample can reliably confirm the 165°F finish.
03

Fresh spinach + canned hearts

Five ounces of leaves collapse around one 13.5-ounce can of tangy, tender artichoke pieces.

Drain the hearts well and let the wilted spinach release its loose water before adding dairy.
04

Three cheeses, three jobs

Cream cheese binds, Parmesan seasons the sauce, and mozzarella becomes the browned lid.

Soften the cream cheese and grate the other two from blocks for the smoothest melt.

Leaf + heartFresh volume, preserved tang

A full bowl of spinach becomes the sauce’s green seam

Fresh green spinach leaves gathered in a wide metal bowl.
Five ounces looks abundant before it meets the skillet. Let every leaf collapse and the stray water evaporate before the dairy goes in.Photo by Nillerdk / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0
Drain one, evaporate the other

Artichoke liquid leaves through the colander. Spinach water leaves through the hot skillet. Both exits matter before dairy arrives.

Drained quartered artichoke hearts in a clear glass bowl.
The source calls for one drained 13.5-ounce can. Chop the hearts into pieces that can travel with the penne instead of collecting at the edge of the dish.Photo by Alabama Extension / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0

The weeknight clockBoil · brown · wilt · fold · bake

Thirty-five minutes with no idle handoff

Pasta water and skillet run in parallel, then converge in the baking dish for a short, hot finish.

  1. 0:00

    Heat oven and water

    Set the oven to 425°F, grease the baking dish, and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

  2. 0:05

    Start the firm penne

    Boil two minutes short of the package time, then drain thoroughly without rinsing.

  3. 0:08

    Wake the onion

    Heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium-high and sauté the chopped onion for one minute.

  4. 0:09

    Brown chicken and garlic

    Add seasoned chicken pieces and garlic; toss until every side carries color.

  5. 0:15

    Collapse the green

    Stir in drained artichokes and spinach until the leaves wilt and the skillet no longer pools water.

  6. 0:18

    Fold the sauce off heat

    Add penne, sour cream, softened cream cheese, and Parmesan; turn until every tube is coated.

  7. 0:20

    Top and bake

    Move to the dish, cover with mozzarella, and bake 10–15 minutes until bronzed and 165°F at center.

  8. 0:35

    Let the sauce settle

    Rest five minutes before spooning the creamy pasta into four warm bowls.

Read before the timerFirm · brown · dry · cling · bronze

Five reads prevent soft pasta and thin sauce

The clock is compact, but the useful finish signals are visual and tactile—from the resistant penne center to the freckled mozzarella lid.

01

Penne firmer than dinner-ready

A cut tube still shows a pale, resistant center. Fully tender pasta at the drain will soften too far in the casserole.

02

Chicken colored, not crowded

Even bite-size pieces carry brown patches on their broad sides; a packed skillet would leave them grey and steamed.

03

Spinach collapsed, pan nearly dry

The leaves have shrunk around the artichokes and a spoon dragged across the skillet does not leave a watery trail.

04

Sauce clings between the ridges

Softened cream cheese disappears into sour cream and Parmesan, coating the penne without a separate puddle.

05

Mozzarella freckled, center safe

Brown spots appear across the lid and one chicken piece from the middle reaches 165°F / 74°C.

The sensible holdPrep raw · assemble hot · cool shallow

Do the knife work early, keep the bake hot

This recipe is fastest and creamiest when it moves straight from skillet to oven. Save advance time in the mise en place, not in a long assembled chill.

Prep the vegetables first

Chop onion and garlic, drain and chop the hearts, and measure the spinach before the pasta water boils.

Assemble only when ready to bake

The short oven finish assumes a hot skillet mixture. A chilled assembled dish needs extra time and risks softer penne.

Cool in shallow portions

Refrigerate within two hours instead of leaving the deep baking dish on the counter.

Use within 3–4 days

Reheat covered to 165°F. A teaspoon or two of milk can loosen an individual portion if the pasta has absorbed the sauce.

Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole

Jessica’s 35-minute baked penne with browned chicken, fresh spinach, canned artichoke hearts, sour cream, cream cheese, Parmesan, and mozzarella.

Chicken CasseroleBaked PenneSpinachArtichoke HeartsWeeknight DinnerSpring Cooking

Ingredients

Chicken, greens, and pasta

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1 (13.5 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  • 5 oz fresh baby spinach
  • 12 oz dry penne pasta

Creamy three-cheese finish

  • 1 cup low-fat sour cream
  • 4 oz low-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F / 220°C. Lightly grease a 3-quart baking dish. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
  2. Boil the penne until very firm al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package time, so it can finish in the oven. Drain well; do not rinse.
  3. While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 1 minute.
  4. Season the chicken pieces with salt and black pepper. Add the garlic and chicken to the skillet and cook, tossing occasionally, until the chicken is browned on every side.
  5. Add the drained artichoke hearts and fresh spinach. Stir until the spinach is fully wilted and no loose water pools in the skillet, 2–3 minutes.
  6. Take the skillet off the heat. Fold in the drained penne, sour cream, softened cream cheese, and Parmesan until the pasta is evenly coated. Taste the sauce and adjust salt and pepper, remembering that the mozzarella will add salt.
  7. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Cover with the mozzarella. Bake for 10–15 minutes, until the cheese is melted, beginning to brown, and a chicken piece from the center registers 165°F / 74°C.
  8. Rest for 5 minutes so the sauce settles around the penne, then serve hot.

Source and technique references: Jessica’s Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole for the March 18, 2015 identity, exact ingredient formula, four-serving yield, 10/25/35-minute clock, skillet sequence, 425°F oven, and 10–15-minute bake; the surviving My Recipe Magic card for legacy ID 2501716653 and JC Carter attribution; Katie Lee Biegel’s Food Network Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Bake and Bon Appétit’s test-kitchen guide to better baked pasta for independent agreement on stopping sturdy pasta before al dente and controlling spinach moisture; FoodSafety.gov’s safe-temperature chart for the 165°F poultry and casserole finish; and USDA FSIS leftover guidance for prompt shallow cooling, 3–4-day refrigeration, covered reheating, and a 165°F reheat. Ingredient ratios and source oven timing are unchanged; early draining, moisture and temperature cues, the brief rest, and storage controls are separately researched clarifications.

Image credits

Photography is used under open licenses with attribution: SpencerWMartin / Wikimedia Commons, Nillerdk / Wikimedia Commons, and Alabama Extension / Wikimedia Commons.