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.
Rosanna says
Am making this tonight....suggestions for a side dish to make ....Thanks everyone....
Anna says
Hi Rosanna! I highly recommend the Caesar Salad and my focaccia bread. Here is the salad: https://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/caesar-salad/ and here is the focaccia: https://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/one-hour-skillet-focaccia/ I hope you enjoy the pasta!
rosanna says
Mine came out pretty salty. Don't know what I did wrong. The dry ranch dip was 1oz...was that the right size?
Amy says
This was absolutely fantastic I wish not change a thing. Only difference I did was use chicken tenders. Amazing! Thank you for sharing.
Karen says
Looks great. I am looking for casseroles I can freeze for my son and daughter-in-law
with newborn. I saw a couple of people ask about freezing. but could not find an answer.
Can this receipe be frozen? If so, would you bake frozen or have to thaw completely first?
Anna says
Hi Karen! 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. I hope this helps!
Kathy says
I've made this many times now. The only thing I change is that I cook my chicken breast in advance and add the cooked chicken to to the casserole. I usually have cooked chicken breasts on hand and it makes casseroles so much faster. This is a big hit with everyone I've delivered it to. Anytime I have to make a dinner for someone this is my go to recipe! Thanks for a delicious and easy casserole!
Caryn says
I made this yesterday with a few changes because of what I had on hand. I subbed one can of evaporated milk instead of half and half, plus added one container of sun-dried herb feta cheese and about a 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. It was delicious, and even better the next day as leftovers. Delicious!
Yolanda says
Can I use Tyson frozen diced chicken instead of cooking chicken breast?
Eva says
Love this combination of spinach chicken pasta.
I Had made that last night as you stated in this post. It was so delicious.
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.
Barbara says
Hi Anna,
Thanks for the recipe. I'm going to try it tonight but have a couple of questions.
How much fresh spinach is "half a batch" and do I need to steam it before adding to the other ingredients? Thanks!
Barbara
Libbi V. says
This is such a hit when I'm craving comfort food! I also like to add artichokes to make it a *bit* healthier and I love spinach artichoke dip! Thanks for a great recipe to add to our rotation.
Dorothy says
Could I put this together the night before then top it with the cheese and bake it for lunch the next day? If so, should I let it get to room temperature before I bake it? Thank you!
Kim W. says
We love garlic in my home so I added a few gloves of crushed garlic. This made it much tastier. It’s definitely a repeat recipe.
Anna says
Perfect! I am always for more garlic. Thank you for trying my recipe, Kim!
buses4life says
Fantastic recipe! I'm a fan of spicy foods so I opted for spicy ranch mix instead of the traditional and I was not disappointed 🙂 Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!
Anna says
Thank you so much!
Tina says
I’ve made it three times for different family members, and it was a hit every time. Thanks for the great recipe!
Anna says
That's wonderful! Thank you so much, Tina!
Tracy says
My family loves this recipe and I have made it many times. I double the sour cream, cream cheese and ranch mix. I also add some cheese to the mix as well as on top. Grade A recipe!!
Anna says
Thank you so much, Tracy! I am so glad the pasta is a hit with you and your family!
Amy says
Recipe looks amazing. I would like to try . Where are all the measurements? Thank you in advance.
cctyger says
The measurements are included in the ingredients list in the actual recipe.
Nettie Lewis says
Hi, I’m not really fond of the flavor of Ranch Dressing - any idea for a substitute? Thanks -
* Even though I haven’t yet made this casserole it gets five stars for looks and the positive comments of those who have.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Nettie! You can completely skip it and use a mix of dried parsley, onion powder, garlic powder and dried dill. I hope this helps!