Family-Style Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake
2x the delicious servings!
Imagine this: tender pasta with garlicky bites of juicy chicken and earthy spinach folded into a velvety lemon-Parmesan cream sauce and baked to crispy and luscious perfection. Now imagine it’s on the table, family style, ready to feed the hungriest of eaters in no time at all. The time you’ll save making this big batch meal means that much more time to hang with the fam. It’s a homey, wholesome dinner idea that’s perfect for company or just the regulars (+ leftovers—hello lunch, tomorrow!).
This recipe is double the typical servings, providing 4 servings and 8 servings for a 2 person and 4 person box respectively.
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
Ingredients
1 unit
Yellow Onion
1 unit
Lemon
12 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains Wheat)
20 ounce
Chicken Breast Strips
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
1 tablespoon
Italian Seasoning
8 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains Milk)
9 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains Milk)
3 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains Milk)
2 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
5 ounce
Spinach
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
Cooking Spray
1 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Instructions
• Adjust rack to middle position (top and middle positions for 8 servings) and preheat oven to 425 degrees. • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (For 8, use two large pots or cook pasta in batches.) • Generously coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish (two baking dishes for 8) with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. • Wash and dry produce. • Halve, peel, and finely dice onion. Zest and halve lemon.
• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup pasta cooking water (½ cup for 8 servings), then drain.
• Meanwhile, open package of chicken* and drain off any excess liquid. Cut into bite-size pieces if necessary. • Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over high heat. Add chicken and onion in a single layer; season with garlic powder, 2 tsp Italian Seasoning (4 tsp for 8 servings), salt, and pepper. (Be sure to measure the Italian Seasoning—we sent more!) Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. TIP: Depending on the size of the pan, you may need to work in batches, adding more oil between batches.
• In a large bowl, whisk together cream sauce base, Parmesan, sour cream, stock concentrates, juice from the lemon, and a big pinch of lemon zest.
• Return drained penne to empty pot; add Parmesan cream sauce, chicken, spinach, and reserved pasta cooking water. • Toss to thoroughly combine (spinach will begin to wilt).
• Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish (divide between two prepared baking dishes for 8 servings). Cover pasta bake tightly with foil; set on top of a baking sheet. • Bake on middle rack until warmed through and bubbly, 20-30 minutes. (For 8, bake on top and middle racks, swapping rack positions halfway through.) TIP: Be careful when lifting the foil to check on the pasta bake—steam may escape! • Let pasta bake rest at least 5 minutes.
• When ready to serve, stir pasta bake to evenly combine. • Divide between plates or serve family style directly from baking dish.
Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
