This Chicken Florentine Pasta Casserole is a super easy and flavorful pasta dish. It uses simple and easy to find ingredients and is freezer-friendly!
Looking for a great meal to serve your family any night of the week? Enter pasta dishes! They are easy to make, most use pantry staples, and are great for sharing too!
We love simple easy to make pasta meals such as this Baked Ziti, American Goulash, or our family favorite (and reader favorite!) Homemade Hamburger Helper.
Top Reasons To Try This Tasty Pasta Dish
- It’s kind of fancy but totally approachable
- Loaded with flavor
- Like mac and cheese but more of a company worthy version
- Uses real ingredients
Ingredients
BUTTER, FLOUR, HALF AND HALF: All used to make a sauce, don’t worry it’s super easy!
ONION, GARLIC, TOMATOES, AND SPINACH: The veggies in the dish
PASTA: I like to use any short type of pasta for this casserole.
CHICKEN: For this recipe you will need pre-cooked chicken. You can use rotisserie, canned, or quickly cook some chicken in a skillet.
MOZZARELLA AND PARMESAN
How To Make Chicken Florentine Pasta Casserole
MAKE THE SAUCE: While the pasta is cooking; cook the onion and then garlic in melted butter. Stir in the flour and then whisk in the half and half to make a smooth sauce.
REMAINING INGREDIENTS: Add in the remaining ingredients and only 1 cup of mozzarella.
BAKE: Spoon into a lightly greased baking dish and top with remaining mozzarella. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted.
How To Cook The Perfect Pasta
- Use a large pot with plenty of water so the pasta can move around while boiling to reduce sticking.
- Stir the pasta right after you add it to the boiling water. This will also help prevent it from sticking together.
- SALT the water. This adds flavor to the bland pasta. Your water should be as salty as the sea.
- Check the pasta a minute before the recipe says it’s done to prevent it from being overcooked. It should still have a slight bite to it to be considered al dente. For this recipe, you will want the pasta a little less than al dente because it will also continue to cook in the oven.
Tips and Suggestions
FREEZER-FRIENDLY: Wrap the completely cooled casserole in heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Can freeze casserole baked or unbaked.
VEGGIES: Add different vegetables like mushrooms or kale. Take note that adding more vegetables will affect how full your casserole dish will be.
WINE: You can also replace some of the half and half with white wine
Serving Suggestions
This would be great served with a simple side salad and breadsticks or these Garlic Cheddar Biscuits. However, if you would like to dress it up even more serve it with these Roasted Green Beans, or this Easy Greek Salad. And don’t forget about dessert!! Try my Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies for something simple yet different or try this Lemon Lush for something light and refreshing.
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Chicken Florentine Pasta Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (226g) ziti pasta
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup (35g) all-purpose flour
- 2½ cups (590ml) whole milk or half and half
- 8 ounces (226g) shredded mozzarella
- 4 cups (141g) spinach
- 3 cups (420g) cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
- 2 cups (340g) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup (55g) grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook noodles until a couple minutes before al dente. Drain and lightly toss with a little oil to prevent sticking.
- Saute onion in the melted butter over medium heat until starts to soften. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Whisk in the milk until smooth. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup shredded mozzarella, drained pasta, spinach, chicken, tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese. Pour into prepared pan. Top with remaining shredded mozzarella.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted.
Notes
- FREEZER-FRIENDLY: Wrap completely cooled casserole in heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Can freeze casserole baked or unbaked.
Like that it uses spinach in this recipe. A good way to add a vegetable.
Yes, it is! Thanks Grandma!