Creamy Chicken Spinach Pasta Bake Recipe

Pasta is a key ingredient in any cook's pantry, and it's no wonder why. A favorite of college students and professional cooks alike, cooking pasta is simple, it comes in a wide variety of styles and shapes, it can be bought shelf-stable or freshly made, and can be prepared and served in an almost infinite variety of ways. Pasta is about as versatile as any ingredient can hope to be, and whether you are a pro or you are just starting out on your culinary journey, this pasta bake recipe is one you should know.

It is important to have a good stock of great pasta recipes in your repertoire, and this creamy chicken spinach pasta bake, created by Tasting Table recipe developer Jennine Rye, is one of those recipes. Flavored with chicken and bacon, sun dried tomatoes, parmesan, and garlic, and finished in a deliciously rich and creamy sauce, this dish is a real delight. It is speedy and simple to assemble which makes it perfect for a quick mid-week dinner option, and it is a hearty dish that is great for feeding a crowd. If you are looking for a comforting meal option that is packed full of flavor, it's simple to make this creamy chicken spinach pasta bake.

To make this creamy chicken spinach pasta bake recipe, first you will want to gather the ingredients. You will require pasta, chicken breast, bacon lardons, garlic cloves, oregano, smoked paprika, flour, chicken stock, cream, Parmesan, sun dried tomatoes, and spinach. You will additionally need kitchen staples olive oil and salt and pepper. If you are unable to procure sun dried tomatoes, or have none in your larder at home and there's no time to pop to the shops, it is possible to substitute this ingredient with fresh, diced tomatoes, though the flavor will be much gentler and less concentrated.

It is also simple to make this pasta dish gluten-free. If you are on a gluten-free diet, all you need to do is substitute the pasta for a gluten-free variety, and do likewise with the flour, and you can safely enjoy this pasta bake too. 

There is such a wide variety of pasta shapes on supermarket shelves that it can be hard to decide which type will be best for any given dish. For any baked pasta dish or dish that includes chunky ingredients such as this one, we recommend using short varieties of pasta such as penne, gemelli, or fusilli. This keeps all of the elements of the dish fairly equally proportioned, and the shape of these pasta varieties allows the thick, creamy sauce to cling to the twists and ridges, making a perfect pairing.

While it isn't imperative to precook your pasta for a pasta bake, it does mean that the baking time can be shortened, resulting in a quicker dinner. For this recipe you will want to start by boiling the pasta in salted water until it is just al dente. Then drain it and set it to one side.

To make the delicious creamy chicken spinach pasta sauce, start by frying the bacon and the chicken in a large, deep frying pan. Then, add the garlic, oregano, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper, to create a delicious flavor base for your dish. Stir in the flour, this will act as a thickener for your sauce, and then add the chicken stock and the cream. Once everything has been throughly stirred to combine the liquids and the flour, add the sun dried tomatoes and the Parmesan, and then add the spinach and allow it to wilt before stirring it into the sauce.

Once the spinach is wilted and the sauce is ready, it's time to add the pasta to the pan. Mix everything together so that the pasta is thoroughly coated in the delicious creamy sauce, and then transfer everything to a large baking dish. Sprinkle more Parmesan on top of the pasta bake before placing it into the oven for half an hour to cook. 

Once the pasta bake is cooked, serve it hot from the oven with a side of fresh, crisp salad. Store any cool leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within three days.