This Cheesy Spinach Dip Chicken Pasta will be your new favorite dinner! I combined the spinach dip and all of its creamy goodness with cooked penne and chicken. Then I topped it all with mozzarella and baked into one delicious meal!
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Why You'll Love This Pasta
How about a creamy pasta topped with gooey cheese for dinner? What if we added spinach dip to the equation? I'll tell you what - your new favorite weeknight dinner! It's absolutely delicious and the whole family loves it!
This has been our favorite weeknight dinner. I make it on Tuesdays, our busiest time in the week when our girls have dance classes and we get back home late. I do all of the prep during the day. When we get home, I top it with cheese and bake while we make a salad and the dinner is ready in 15 minutes. Talk about a time-saver!
Ingredients:
- pasta - I used penne pasta but any bite-size pasta works.
- chicken - I recommend boneless skinless chicken breast.
- flour - Sprinkled over chicken, allows it to brown nicely.
- sour cream - The base for the sauce. You can use Greek yogurt instead.
- cream cheese - Makes the sauce and the overall dish, creamy and rich.
- milk - Necessary to thin out the sauce mixture. I actually prefer half and half for a richer flavor.
- spinach - You can use frozen or fresh spinach. Frozen needs to be thawed and squeezed out of excess moisture.
- Ranch mix - Just like in making a spinach dip, this seasoning mix gives it the signature flavor.
- cheese - I used freshly grated mozzarella cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with starch to prevent clumping and it doesn't melt as well.
How to make spinach dip chicken pasta?
- Start by buttering a 2-quart baking dish.
- Cook pasta, drain and keep warm.
- Dice chicken, season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour over chicken and toss to coat.
- Cook chicken until no longer pink.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, mix together sour cream, cream cheese, Ranch mix, half and half and spinach.
- Add cooked pasta and chicken to the spinach mixture and stir all together. Transfer the mixture into the prepared dish.
- If serving right away, top the dish with cheese and bake for 10 minutes. The cheese should be melted. You can then turn the oven to broiler (on low setting) and broil for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cheese bubbles up and gets golden brown spots.
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Pasta dinner that tastes like your favorite dip!
Pasta dinners are one of our favorites for weeknights. They are so versatile and so easy to make. This one is inspired by my Hubby. One of his favorite dips is the spinach dip (I skip the artichokes but feel free to include them).
This dish is also great to take to neighbors that just had a baby, or friends that are sick. Everyone will love it! It's a hit with kids even though it has spinach. And that is a win!
Common questions:
You can use fresh or frozen spinach in this dish. I tried both and didn't notice much difference. Go with fresh is it's in season and frozen when you can't find it. Don't forget to thaw it before using in the recipe.
You can use 1 teaspoon of each dried dill, chives, garlic powder, onion powder to substitute for the ready mix. I hope this helps!
You can freeze this casserole, but keep in mind that it has sour cream and cream cheese. They may turn a little grainy during freezing. Thaw the casserole, stir it well and then bake.
Absolutely! Any shortcut you can take, go for it! Already cooked chicken (diced or even shredded) works well. It saves you time because you can skip the first few steps.
Absolutely! Combine all ingredients in a casserole dish and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Let it sit in room temperature while the oven preheats. Do not place cold from the fridge casserole in the oven or your dish will break.
More pasta recipes:
If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!
Cheesy Spinach Dip Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups uncooked penne rigate
- 2 chicken breasts
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup half and half or whole milk
- 1 pkg dry Ranch mix
- 5 oz frozen spinach or 4 ounces of fresh
- 1 ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Butter a 2 quart baking dish. Set aside.
- Cook pasta according to the instructions on the packaging. Drain and keep warm.2 ½ cups uncooked penne rigate
- Dice chicken, season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour over chicken and toss to coat.2 chicken breasts, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, mix together sour cream, cream cheese, Ranch mix, half and half and spinach.½ cup sour cream, 4 oz cream cheese, ¼ cup half and half or whole milk, 1 pkg dry Ranch mix, 5 oz frozen spinach or 4 ounces of fresh
- Add cooked pasta and chicken to the spinach mixture and stir all together. Transfer the mixture into the prepared dish.
- At this point, you can cover the dish with saran wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- If serving right away, top the dish with cheese and bake for 10 minutes at 375℉ oven. The cheese should be melted. You can then turn the oven to broiler (on low setting) and broil for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cheese bubbles up and gets golden brown spots.1 ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Let stand in room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- You can use fresh or frozen spinach in this dish. I tried both and didn’t notice much difference. Go with fresh is it’s in season and frozen when you can’t find it.
- I do not use table salt in this recipe. Kosher salt is less salty so keep that in mind.
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
Sarah says
I found this recipe on Facebook, made it and shared with the neighbors. All 4 of us agreed that it makes an amazing dinner. I always prep ahead, and my husband puts it in the oven while I am at work!
C says
Anna, looks yummy and easy. How did you come up with calorie count? I entered recipe into myfitnesspal and got 558 calories for one of 4 servings.
Donna Palmer says
Absolutely delicious!!!
So good in fact that my husband and I had to make ourselves stop after our 2nd helping!
Super easy to make and truly delicious!!!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Donna! Yay! That's fantastic! I am so happy to know you and your husband loved the dish. Thank you so much for letting me know!
Norma Howell says
Approximately how much is half of a batch of fresh spinach? 2 cups ?
Susan says
Yes, fresh spinach has no taste really, I use it in my fruit smoothies even. I don't like frozen or canned spinach, you can really taste the difference with fresh versus frozen.
dawn says
i don't see where it says to cut up the chicken. do you leave it whole breasts or dice up to mix
Alex says
Step 3 And 4 give you directions for the chicken. Dice and cook.
Margie says
This has got to be the BEST chicken casserole that I have made! We love it! Since we are big fans of spinach artichoke dip, I added artichokes to the recipe. This made it even better! Give it a try. You will be amazed!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Margie! Yay! That's wonderful! HANK YOU SO MUCH! I am so happy to know you love this pasta. I agree, artichokes are awesome in it too! 😀
Megan says
How did you add the artichokes?? Speaking as a new wife who has never tried to make artichokes before! 😬
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Megan! You can buy artichoke hearts in a can. Just drain and rinse before using in this recipe. Add when adding spinach. Hope this helps!
Erin says
Awesome recipe, I would suggest putting cheese inside the mix too, not just on top
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Totally agree, Erin! The more cheese, the better! 😀
Elizabeth says
Could I freeze this? Thaw when I'm ready to use and bake like 30 mins, top with cheese and cook 5-10 minutes longer until golden & melted?
Ruby says
Exactly what I was wondering. Did you try freezing it?
Stephanie says
I’ve made this dish and just love it. The next day it taste even better
Renee Kelly says
I've just found this recipe on Facebook, and while reading through the ingredients I'm questioning one of them: do you use ranch dip or dressing mix? There IS a difference.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Renee! I always use Hidden Valley The Original Ranch Seasoning & Salad Dressing Mix. I hope this helps! Thank you!
Kat says
Just made this last night, Everyone loved it! Will be making it again soon 🙂
Lisa says
I loved the taste. It was a little dry the next day heated up so I think I will try to add a little more sauce part to it. It was delicious thank you for the recipe!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Lisa! I am so happy to know you loved it! Thank you for trying my recipe. 😀 Have a beautiful day! -Anna
Kelly says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!! It is a great base. I enhanced by adding sauteed red and green bell peppers plus 4 cloves of crushed garlic. Also added jack and cheddar cheeses to the mozarella. Next time, I will increase the spinach. Thanks again for such great inspiration.
Julia Kruz says
Definitely Cheesy Spinach Dip Chicken Pasta – my new favorite dinner! I found your post from Pinterest ! Thanks for sharing, Anna!
Carol T says
This looks amazing. My favorite dip is Spinich dip. So I know it has to be good to add Chicken and pasta. And all that cheese. How could it not be fantastic. Looking so forward to it one night this week coming.
Excited.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Carol! Our favorite dip is spinach dip too! That's how we came up with this idea. 😀 I hope you love it! Let me know! -Anna
Bobbie says
I made this tonight and have a question. Should I have washed/rinsed the frozen spinach? My kids aren't too picky, but 3 of my 4 didn't love this dish and my 9 year old said the spinach ruined it for her. I ate after my kids and have to admit, the spinach flavor was stronger than I would've liked. I couldn't taste much of the ranch at all. Then I realized that maybe in my ignorance as a cook, I was supposed to have done something with the spinach beyond just thawing and tossing in. In theory, this recipe sounds like something my family should love. Would using fresh spinach help my problem?
Susan says
Yes, fresh spinach has no taste really, I use it in my fruit smoothies even. I don't like frozen or canned spinach, you can really taste the difference with fresh versus frozen.