Let me tell you about a very special pasta that I recently introduced into my life and has somehow managed to become one of our all-time favorite dinners to whip up. It’s full of gorgeous shell pasta, tender chicken breast, sweet caramelized onions, and nutritious spinach that somehow melts perfectly into a creamy, yet light parmesan cheese sauce.
Yes, you absolutely must meet my forever bff: this one pot incredible caramelized onion spinach chicken pasta bake. Also known as heaven on earth.
Some of my best recipes come to me when I’m peeking around in my fridge, trying to figure out what to make to use up ingredients without going to the store. This healthy chicken pasta bake is no different and is made with simple ingredients that you might already have on-hand.
It’s creamy, slightly sweet thanks to those juicy caramelized browned onions, packed with protein, and has some pretty awesome lick-your-plate-clean kinda magic flavors happening. I swear I could bathe in the parmesan cheese sauce that soaks up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan from the caramelized onions and chicken.
Just trust your friendly neighborhood blogger and put this one on your menu ASAP.
Ingredients in this creamy chicken pasta bake
Admittedly I was feeling seriously inspired by the parmesan sauce in my healthier tuna noodle casserole, and when I found two bags of spinach that needed to be used up, an onion lurking in the pantry and some parmesan, I knew magic was about to be made. Trust me, you’re going to fall in LOVE with this pasta and be amazed at how easy and delicious it was. Here are the ingredients you need:
- Pasta: I love shells in this recipe but you can use any pasta you’d like — including gluten free! I think penne pasta or fusilli would be so fun.
- Chicken: I like to use boneless skinless chicken breast, but chicken thighs will also work.
- Seasonings: the only seasonings you’ll need to give this recipe the perfect flavor are garlic powder, salt & pepper. You could also add a kick of heat with red pepper flakes if you’re feeling a little wild!
- Veggies: we’re using TWO full bags of spinach, which will seem like it’s a lot, but it cooks down a ton and is perfect mixed in with the pasta and sauce. You’ll also be caramelizing some onions!
- For the sauce: that creamy parmesan sauce is made with butter, flour, milk, and parmesan cheese. Feel free to use any milk you’d like, as well as all purpose. whole wheat, or gluten free flour. That’s right, there’s no cream involved, but it tastes like a better alfredo sauce!
- Breadcrumbs: for the toasty breadcrumb topping. Feel free to use gluten free breadcrumbs!
Customize this healthy chicken pasta bake
Feel free to make this healthy chicken pasta bake your own! Here’s what I can recommend for substitutions and/or additions:
- Choose your veggies: I think this recipe would be delicious with mushrooms, peas, broccoli and even sun dried or regular tomatoes.
- Make it vegetarian: feel free to throw in some chickpeas instead of the chicken.
- Go gluten free: simply use your fav gluten free noodles, gluten free all purpose flour in the sauce, and gluten free breadcrumbs on top. You could also substitute crushed up gluten free tortilla chips, potato chips or crackers for the topping!
- Try it dairy free: I suggest using vegan butter, a dairy free milk of choice (like the almond milk listed) and dairy free parmesan cheese.
Looking for a quick protein option?
You could easily throw in some shredded rotisserie chicken instead of cooking the chicken for this pasta casserole! It’s a great way to use up leftover chicken, too.
Stovetop option
If you prefer, you can skip the bread crumbs and the baking of the pasta. We do this often when we want to eat quickly and it’s still just as delicious! Feel free to crumble crackers on top if you’d still like a little buttery crunch.
How to caramelize onions
I know caramelizing onions can feel intimidating, but it’s easier to do than you think!
- Add in ½ tablespoon olive oil or butter, sliced onions and salt and pepper to a large pot and place over medium heat; stir to coat.
- Cook onions, stirring occasionally; check your onions every 5-10 minutes until they have completely caramelized and turned golden brown.
- If the onions appear to be getting too dark or sticking too much to the bottom of the pan, then simply reduce the heat a bit. You can also add a teaspoon or two of water.
Make it ahead of time
- Prep it ahead of time: feel free to make this chicken pasta bake ahead of time and bake it a day or two later! Simply make the recipe as directed, except do not add the breadcrumbs. Instead, cover with foil and place in fridge until ready to bake. Once ready to bake, add the breadcrumbs as directed and bake. You make need to add 5-10 minutes of extra baking time.
- Freezer-friendly option: if you want to make this chicken pasta bake ahead of time, simply make the recipe as directed, except do not bake it with the breadcrumbs on top. Instead, put it in a freezer-safe container pan like these, cover and place it in a freezer safe bag until you’re ready to bake. Once ready to bake, thaw out the chicken pasta bake in the refrigerator overnight. Once thawed, bake as directed!
Storing tips
Store any leftover chicken pasta bake in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Simply reheat leftovers in the microwave until warm. Otherwise, follow the freezing instructions above!
More easy pasta recipes to try
- Buffalo Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
- Spinach Garlic Parmesan Orzo with Crispy Bacon
- Brown Butter Pistachio Pesto Pasta with Chickpeas
- Roasted Rainbow Vegetable Pasta with Cashew Pesto + Goat Cheese
- One Pot Cheesy Mushroom Spinach Beef Pasta
Get all of my delicious pasta recipes here!
I know you’re going to LOVE this spinach chicken pasta bake! Be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe below if you make it. Thanks for being here — I appreciate you! xo.
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Incredible Caramelized Onion Spinach Chicken Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- For the pasta:
- 10 ounces dry pasta shells (or use rotini, fusilli, or whatever pasta you’d like -- even gluten free!)
- For the chicken:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into ½ inch cubes
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- For the caramelized onions & spinach:
- ½ tablespoon olive oil (or butter)
- 1 very large (or 2 medium) yellow onions, sliced
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- 10-12 ounces fresh spinach
- For the parmesan cheese sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour (or whole wheat flour or all purpose gluten free flour)
- 1 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or cashew milk or regular milk)
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the topping:
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, gluten free if desired
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Spray a 2-quart baking dish or 9x9 inch or 11x7 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, or grease with olive oil or butter.
- Boil the noodles until al dente, according to the directions on the package. Once done cooking, drain and set aside.
- Cook your chicken: add ½ tablespoon olive oil to a large pot and place over medium high heat. Add in diced chicken, season with garlic powder and salt and pepper; cook for 5-7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Transfer chicken to a large bowl once done cooking.
- In the same pot you cooked chicken, you can caramelize your onions: add in ½ tablespoon olive oil or butter, onions and salt and pepper; stir to coat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally; check your onions every 5-10 minutes until they have completely caramelized and turned golden brown. If the onions appear to be getting too dark or sticking too much to the bottom of the pan, then simply reduce the heat a bit. You can also add in a few teaspoons of water to help deglaze the pan. Once the onions have caramelized, reduce heat to low and stir in spinach with the onions; cook until spinach wilts. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl with the chicken.
- In the same pot, add in 2 tablespoons of butter and place over medium heat. Once butter is melted, whisk in a little bit of the flour and then slowly add in milk, a little bit at a time, alternating with the flour and vigorously whisking away any lumps. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and stir every so often, until the sauce thickens up.
- Once sauce has thickened up a bit, turn off the heat and stir in garlic powder, parmesan cheese. salt and LOTS of freshly ground black pepper.
- Next stir in cooked noodles, spinach and caramelized onions and chicken. Season again with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour mixture into your prepared baking pan and spread out.
- In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs with melted butter. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top of casserole and bake for 25 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serves 6.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on March 19th, 2020, and republished on February 26th, 2023.
203 comments
This looks and sounds soooo good!!
It is!!
Delish and super simple way to get a well rounded meal, with veggies even! I love that you include nutrition information. You makes so many great dishes that are well rounded to keep your feeing nourished yet indulgent and comforted!
Absolutely! I’m so glad you loved this one 🙂
Excellent! AK recipes are go-tos in my house and this one is a solid choice! Added mushrooms because we like a lot of veggies and it was very hearty and delicious. I miss having baked pastas as my partner needs mostly dairy-free, but he can tolerate some parmesan so this was perfect! Great comfort food for a winter dinner!
Love that! Perfect dinner 🙂
Looks great! Two questions: will frozen spinach work? And would any other kinds of cheese work? I’m out of parmesan!
Yes! Frozen spinach is great, and if you want to use a different cheese, I recommend a hard cheese that’s similar to parmesan and one that’s quite salty!
Add sun dried tomatoes to this recipe for that extra bite – and color!! So good!
Love that idea! Yum!
When did you add the sun dried tomatoes?
Not sure if you’ll see this – I’ve started adding sundried tomatoes (and artichoke hearts) to the dish too – I usually add it to the pan after the spinach has wilted down to integrate a bit with the other veggies, then pour it all in to a bowl with the chicken and pasta to mix before putting in the baking dish.
We didn’t have chicken but had pulled pork, so ised that, and the kids went wild! My daughter says it’s a hundred times better than pasta with tomato sauce and my youngest gave it 1000 stars. Cannot wait to make it again with the chicken. Yummy!!
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
Made this tonight for supper – it was a hit with the whole family!!! (even our 14 month old)
Made it with gluten free pasta, regular milk, loads of fresh garlic and had to use frozen kale instead of spinach (it’s all I had in hand). This will definitely be in our regular rotation as I always have all the ingredients on hand!! So so so yummy!
Perfect! So happy to hear that 🙂 one of my new fav dinners, too!
Hi! I love all your recipes and this sounds fantastic. I don’t have any pasta though, do you think I could do this with quinoa instead or maybe rice?
I think quinoa or rice would be delicious! 🙂
Might be my favorite pasta dish!! So good-loved the lightened up sauce. Just perfect.,thanks so much for providing us all with such yummy healthy recipes 😊
Amazing! So happy to hear that, Jenny 🙂
I made this recipe today, for the first time… And can i just say “OH MY WORD”!!!! WOW WOW WOW!!! This recipe is so easy put together but it tastes as if you spent hours slaving over a stove! I am so glsd that i found your website. This is my first recipe attempt..so exciting to continue my culinary journey with ambitioud kitchen. Yay!
Amazing!! So happy you loved this one 🙂 hope you find more recipes here that you love!
This is delicious! I should’ve allowed more time to prepare, but that’s on me. Subbed Swiss Chard for spinach because I had a couple of bunches from the farmers’ market. They are pretty interchangeable. In my “make again” files, and goes great with a nice white wine!
Perfect! Such a great dinner 🙂 glad you loved it!
Could you use silver beet instead of spinach?
Sure!
WOW! So yummy and so easy! I added in cauliflower florets prior to baking and they were a great addition. The sauce is amazing! Thank you for this amazing recipe especially during quarantine!
Perfect! So glad you loved it!
I wasn’t convinced I would like the sauce made with almond milk, but it ended up working out just fine. We added mushrooms because we had some to use up. This was a delicious dinner- even the toddler approved! Can’t wait for the leftovers!
Absolutely! So happy to hear that.
Thought this was delicious! We used frozen chopped spinach because #quarantine (drained it really well) and it worked great! Also ended up using the broiler at the last minute because it was in for 35 mins and the breadcrumbs never browned. Thank you!
Perfect! Glad you loved this one!
This is going to be a new go-to! I made it earlier this week and the leftovers were just as wonderful as the first serving! So comforting and filling. I added mushrooms and red pepper flakes, otherwise I stuck to the recipe because it is perfect! Thank you for creating and sharing!
Delicious! Love that idea.
Delicious comforting dish. We prepped it in no time and has seconds.
So easy and delicious!
So yummy! The onions are a perfect flavor and we used GF pasta and it turned out amazing. Definitely a comforting meal and easy enough to throw together.
Delicious! Glad you enjoyed!
Loved this recipe! I subbed the seasoning on the chicken for a chipotle roasted garlic that I love but left everything else the same. Was flavorful and filing without feeling overly heavy or indulgent. Definitely will make again (probably with mushrooms next time)!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
Made this for dinner tonight & both me and my husband loved it! Added some mushrooms to it and it was just yumm!
Perfect! Love the idea of adding mushrooms. Delicious!
I made this for dinner this week and it was a perfect quarantine meal with stuff we already had on hand. The caramelized onions and parmesan sauce were an amazing combo. I love that it’s flexible for whatever type of meat, veggies, and pasta you happen to have, so we’ll definitely be making it again.
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂 and yes, perfect for customizing!
This recipe is so easy, flavorful, and decadent! I love the ease of using one pot for everything – cleanup is a breeze. The ingredients are staple items making it easy to gather together for a quick, delicious meal. THE CHEESE SAUCE… omg, I was so proud of myself after making this sauce because its flavor and decadence are of a dish I would order at a restaurant and think to myself, “I would never be able to replicate this at home”. Sooo good. Monique’s recipes are so spot on – every ingredient is thoughtfully processed. Thank you for our new favorite meal!
The perfect one pan dinner! So happy you loved it!
I love your recipes so much – I make them *all* the time. But my one question is – how are the prep times so different than my reality? It took me close 45 minutes to caramelize the onions…. yet your -total- prep times says 20 minutes? I don’t think this is just me, as when I google “how long does it take to caramelize onions” most sites say that at least 45 minutes is standard. I often find that recipe sites HUGELY underestimate the amount of prep time needed… I just can never figure out why that is!
Mine normally take only around 20 minutes to caramelize, but I don’t do them incredibly slow and low and if you leave them be and deglaze the pan often the end up cooking much quicker. I’ll update the prep time though! Thank you.
Do you think I can use chickpea pasta? Would it hold up being baked in the oven?
I think it should! Let me know if you try it!
We used chickpea pasta (shells) and it was FANTASTIC! I reduced the chicken a little bit (because I find chickpea pasta filling) and it was AMAZING!
Perfect! So delicious!
I made this tonight. It was delicious! I doubled and baked in a lasagna size pan. I made the sauce a little larger than double (4 cups milk) and used gluten free penne noodles. I also added cooked broccoli. Great meal but I used many more than one pot! I had lots of dishes, as I did it my way and didn’t follow the one pot steps. I used leftover chicken from a roasted bird I made yesterday. I agree with a previous comment that the onions take much longer, if you cook them low and slow as they should to caramelize. I will be adding this into my rotation and love that I can use any protein or veggies I have on hand.
Loved this dish! It made my man eat spinach – lol! A must try.
This recipe was so easy to make and so yummy! I brought some to a friend who LOVED it. I like how you can customize it with veggies & greens. It also is perfectly for a weeknight dinner because of how quick it is to make. Definitely keeping this recipe to make again!
Absolutely! So glad your friend loved it 🙂
Absolutely fantastic!!! Highly reccomend! Hit the spot and I love caramelized onions. Also thought thia is a perfect base for a pasta bake if you want to mix up the mix-ins.
So happy you enjoyed! And yes feel free to customize with different mix-ins 🙂
This was such a yummy recipe, was really easy to make. It did take me a little longer than described in the recipe. Perhaps 90min including prep and final baking time. But think I’ll be a bit faster next time, and I am definitely making it again! (Made with whole milk and wholemeal pasta)
Glad you loved it! The second time making it should be quicker now that you’ve got it down 🙂
This was such a great, flavourful meal to have. I made this last night and it has become my new favorite meal especially during a cozy night in. I added peas to the mix after I put the spinach in just to get some more greens in there and it was great. The breadcrumbs on top were a great addition and I’ve sent this over to all my friends to make asap! Thank you for the recipe and you are definitely my new go-to site for different meal ideas xoxo
Amazing! So happy to hear that. Love the idea of adding some peas, too!
Really lurved this. I added sundried tomatoes for a little sweetness. Will definitely make again!
Love that idea! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Came out pretty good. I wish there had been more to the seasoning besides salt, pepper, and garlic powder to make it more interesting. I also think the order of the steps could have been improved because my pasta sat out for a long time while I cooked everything else. It was kind of an awkward, choppy process.
Feel free to add a kick of heat from cayenne or chili flakes as well! And noted on the steps – this is just how I make the recipe to keep things simple and approachable.
This was AMAZING! I used leftover grilled chicken and Banza pasta for added protein and fiber. My husband normally doesn’t like chicken recipes, but he loved this and had it the next day for lunch! Thanks for a delicious and well-rounded nutritious meal!
Perfect! So good!
Delicious! Made df by eliminating the cheese- still creamy and so yummy! We will definitely be adding this to our quarantine rotation! Might add cherry tomatoes once they are in season. Thanks Monique- you always have the beat recipes <3
Perfect! So happy to hear that!
I had very high hopes for this recipe, but the sauce was not flavorful therefore the dish wasn’t great flavorwise. Very comforting, texture-wise. We added extra spices and herbs like fresh rosemary, minced garlic, lots of Italian seasonings BUT it just wasn’t flavorful enough. The nondairy milk + flour + parmesan + spices was just too bland. PLUS the breadcrumbs on top should always be seasoned (something I should’ve done). Also, if I make it again, I will for sure use cream of chicken or cream of mushroom for the base of the sauce.
2 bags of spinach is a must, and we added vegetables and kale.
Also in addition to the other comments – if you’ve never caramelized onions, it takes WAY longer if you don’t want to burn the pan.
Hi! Sorry to hear that you didn’t find this flavorful enough. I’ve made it dozens of times and always find that it has the right amount of spices. Feel free to add a bit more salt and pepper to bring out the other flavors if you’d like, too, and it’s great for customizing with any veggies you’d like! The trick for caramelizing onions is to simply deglaze the pan if any burning is happening, and to not stir them very frequently 🙂
This recipe is gold! The prep time is misleading, though, because of how long it takes to caramelize the onions.
Glad you loved it! I have some tips for caramelizing onions in the post, too 🙂
This was incredible! I subbed arrowroot flour and hemp milk but it was still creamy and delicious! I used a rigatoni because that’s what I had, but I would recommend a smaller pasta as it soaked up a lot of the sauce. Will definitely make this again!
Perfect! And great tip on the pasta size. Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Really loved this one – such a cozy, comforting dish that reminded me of what my mom used to cook. It was a little more time-intensive than I was hoping (mostly due to waiting on those onions), but the finished product was worth it. I added about a half cup of frozen peas + carrots with the spinach for some extra veg – worked great. This was a special home-cooked meal.. and I already can’t wait for tomorrow’s leftovers. Thank you!
Love the idea of adding some extra veggies! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Made this tonight and it tasted delicious! Had some heavy cream leftover and added that to the milk mixture to make it extra creamy and added sundried tomatoes! Also used minced garlic rather than garlic powder in the sauce (but that’s because we love garlic in our household). This ones definitely a keeper and will be made again. Delicious!
Perfect! Love that 🙂
Loved all of the flavors of this dish! Everything came through strong and at the same time, melded together perfectly. Can’t wait to make it again!
Absolutely! So glad you loved it!
This was amazing!!! Me and my husband absolutely loved it. Every part was so good, from the caramelized onions to the sauce and the breadcrumbs! I’ll definitely be making this again!!
So happy to hear that! Perfect dinner 🙂
Wow!!! Delicious! The entire family enjoyed this meal, which is a huge accomplishment, usually 1 out of 5 has an issue with the dinner I make. This meal was definitely a hit. Will make again.
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
VERY VERY GOOD!!! My husband and two toddler boys enjoyed this so much!! Thank you!
I’m so glad! Such a great dinner 🙂
I love it! The chicken pasta.
I don’t know what a web site is.
I enjoy a different take on any recipe.
I am 68 and cooked 3 meals a day for 40 years.
I do make my chili white.
You start with a rue.
Use turkey same vegetables.
Then add to the rue, add Italian spice, turkey broth. Keep as thick or thin as you like. Yummy 😋 for us folks that try to avoid acid foods.
Love your books.
Love that! Glad you enjoyed!
This recipe truly did live up to the name “incredible”! I will definitely be making again, so much flavour and it was a great hit with the whole family!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
This dish is so delicious! I made 1.5 of the sauce recipe to add more & I highly recommend doing that!
Perfect! Love that sauce.
Another delicious recipe! I used chicken thighs, and broiled the top of the pasta bake before removing from the oven, ensuring a crunchy breadcrumb topping. I also highly recommend drizzling on some Frank’s Red Hot before consumption (works really well with the pasta).
Delicious! Always adding hot sauce, too 🙂
This was DELICIOUS! My husband especially was a big fan! I didn’t do the extra 25 minutes in the oven, as the prep and cooking before that were already so long. I probably won’t be making this again anytime soon just because the prep time is so long, but I DID print out the recipe and will be keeping it for special occasions like people coming over, meal trains, etc. Thank you!
Great recipe – everyone in my family loves it. I have made it several times now, per the recipe/instructions, and it turned out perfectly. Great flavor, easy to make on a weeknight. This in our normal meal planning rotation now!
So happy to hear that! Such a great dinner.
This recipe was easy and fantastic. I used my dutch oven to cook the chicken, onion and spinach, and then baked it together with the pasta. I used almond milk and the sauce from it goes great. I will make this again, especially when I have almond milk to use up.
Love it! Such a great weeknight dinner 🙂
Amazing! The perfect fall/winter comfort dish. Great flavors. Already know I’ll be making this one again.
Perfect for fall & winter! 🙂
Followed the recipe exactly, but made some GF pasta and sauce as well to make two pans. I think that next time I want 3 onions, instead of two. I didn’t use enough spinach so I will make sure to buy the full amount. I also wanted a little something extra and will try adding sun-dried tomatoes!
Delicious! Make sure you taste your sauce to see if it has enough seasoning.
Perfect! Sounds delicious 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
Love love love!! I call this “adult mac and cheese” and it hits just right oh man. I rarely find a reason to caramelize onions and usually do a side batch with this recipe. I appreciate the sauce is made with almond milk and parm- I can’t tolerate much dairy, so this is perfection. I haven’t yet had the patience to bake it since once I mix everything together and have a taste, I get the bowls out to have dinner. Such a great cupboard meal since I always have the ingredients on hand.
Adult mac and cheese is so right! Perfect comfort food 🙂
Oh, my word! This was so incredibly delicious. The first time I made it as is in an 8×8 glass casserole dish. You should have seen my husband and I staring at the last little square, wondering who was going to be the “nice guy” and let the other person have it! Because the first batch went so fast, I whipped up another batch, this time adding sliced mushrooms to cook along with the onions. Wow! Great recipe. Lots of steps, but the end result is worth it!
Love it! So glad it was a hit 🙂
Just made this dish for my family and they loved it. My son is picky but he has seconds! I used capaletti pasta and it was so pretty. Thanks Monique for a great recipe!
So happy to hear that!
So I love this — and frankly, all of your recipes I’ve tried (and there have been a lot!). Our family is grateful to you for spicing things up during quarantine! I was wondering if you could use ground chicken in this recipe (we have it on hand and I had a request for your bake)?
Thanks!
Allison
So happy to hear that! And yes I think that would work well 🙂 let me know how it turns out!
This is one of my favorite baked pasta recipes, because it’s creamy and delicious and can be made dairy free for us, lactose-intolerant folk, I’ve completely left out the parmesan cheese before, but today I used nutritional yeast instead of parmesan, I’ve made this recipe for my sister-in-law and her family– her two year old enjoyed the noodles and her husband got seconds, and he doesn’t eat seconds. Love all of your savory and sweet recipes! So many are staples in my kitchen. Thank you!
I’m glad the dairy free version works out well! So happy it was a hit 🙂
Hi! I was hoping to make this using some leftover rotisserie chicken. Would you say 1 lb of chicken would be about 2 cups of chicken? Thanks so much!
Hi! Yes about 1 or 1.5lbs should be perfect 🙂
This was absolutely delicious!! And you don’t feel guilty eating it!! Thank you for a recipe that feeds my whole family!!
So happy to hear that! Perfect family dinner 🙂
This recipe is DELICIOUS! We made it using Banza chickpea pasta (fewer carbs, higher protein) and it worked out perfectly. The flavors are delicious and I already can’t wait to eat this again!
Wow! This was delicious.. took forever to make but so worth it. Leftovers tasted even better. In the future i would boil/cook pasta while the onions are caramelizing since my pasta ended up sitting and clumping together. I also added mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes. So glad i found this blog.. you have so many delicious recipes! Thank you!!
Great tip on cooking the pasta that way 🙂 Glad you loved this one and are enjoying recipes here, too!
This is absolutely incredible! Will become a new staple in my dinner rotation!
So glad you loved it!!
This turned out great! So flavorful. The perfect comfort food.
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Made this last night and it was soooooo warm and comforting during our terrible winter weather. I took the hint from another commenter and added the sun dried tomatoes – highly recommend – they were so good! This recipe was so fun and easy to follow, really enjoyed from start to finish. Looking forward to leftovers! Thank you thank you!!
One of our favourites!!
Such a good, hearty dish. I like to make this when we have family over!
This is one of my favourite recipes! Always turns out so perfect and yummy!! I swear my boyfriend would eat the whole pan if I let him 😂
Such good flavor! It’s hearty and creamy without being heavy! This recipe has become a regular favorite in our house.
Absolutely! Glad you love it!
great weeknight dinner, everyone enjoyed.
I’m so glad!
I am not a big onion fan so it took me a while to warm up to the idea of an onion casserole, but the way they are cooked down in the process… its SO good. Definitely a new regular on our menu.
Caramelizing them is such a game changer! Glad you love this one!
Really tasty recipe! I add bacon and mushrooms and it goes really well! Takes a little bit more time than other recipes but worth it!
Sounds delicious!!
Made this dairy free with vegan parm, butter and almond milk and LOVED it. My husband and I couldn’t stop talking about how good and creamy it was. The best creamy dairy free pasta ever!
This was so delicious, If you want something comforting that also has a hefty amount of greens, make this!!!
As a new mom with minimal free time I have a new found love and appreciation for a casserole. I totally get why they are a thing! Typically, my husband doesn’t love a pasta heavy meal, but he is powerless around this dish. The prep is so straightforward and the end result is heavenly. Also, there is enough for us to have left overs the next day AND I can feed it to my one year old. Love it!!!
Amazing! So glad this one’s a hit 🙂
I thought this recipe looked so good in the pictures.. but when I made it, I was disappointed by the flavour! There was a big lack of flavour.. im not sure if its because of the almond milk but the flavour was very plain and bland!! Just not rich and was super dry. I would not recommend this recipe. I know this website tries to have healthy recipes, but the flavour just wasnt there 🙁
Sorry to hear that! I’m not sure what could’ve gone wrong as this recipe is a huge hit with my readers. I might suggest adding some more salt & pepper where necessary!
Want to make this, just wondering if it’d be ok to make in a Dutch oven? To cook in it on that stove and then finish it in the oven instead of using a different pan?
Hi, Tiff! Yes, absolutely. That’s a great idea! Let me know how it goes 🙂
The dish was super easy to make which is a huge plus for me since I work 12 hours shifts. However I was highly disappointment with the lack of flavor and consistence of the recipe, it was very dry. Maybe I should’ve use milk instead of almond milk? I don’t know but it defiantly it needs something more. If I find a dish bland that’s not good. Needless to say this was a huge pass in my household.
Hi, there. Sorry to hear you didn’t love this one. I’ve found this dish really flavorful, as have many other readers. Did you add salt? And you’re welcome to use regular milk if you don’t love almond milk, but I find it works well in here.
This dish is sooooo good. The caramelized onions and fresh ground black pepper really make it shine! So delicious! I subbed oat milk since I didn’t have almond on hand and it came out great. Instructions are also easy to follow.
Totally fine to use oat milk–good idea! So happy you enjoyed it!
The title isn’t lying, this is incredible! Comfort food but packed with veggies! I used fusilli rice pasta since that’s what I had on hand, definitely want to give shells a try next time because the pictures here look so good!
This is amazing and worth every minute preparing! Tastes like an elevated fancy Mac n cheese! We loved every bite and will be adding this to the holiday menu!
Oooh yes great description. So happy you loved it!!
So easy and quick to prepare, and full of flavor! Definitely going to make this again!
Awesome! Happy you enjoyed it, Melissa 🙂
After having this as a staple recipe for over a year I figured I should leave a review: this is amazing! So delicious, it’s always a hit. It’s a very versatile dish too! We don’t really eat meat so we just sub the chicken for halloumi, and it is perfect. Also, sometimes we do red onions with balsamic vinegar and a pinch of brown sugar. Yum. Just so good!
Aw thank you so much!! I’m so happy you’re loving it. Also BRILLIANT to add the halloumi omg! I need to try that ASAP.
I caramelized my onions in the crockpot with a stick of butter and cooked the chicken at one time then came back later to finish the rest of the recipe. I only gave it a 4 because I agree it needed more flavor but I loved it’s great comfort food quality and plan to add different flavors/seasoning next time.
This was such a delicious meal!! I used oat milk instead of almond and I only had kale, but it was wonderful! I also added extra Parmesan because I love it extra cheesy. Will definitely be making again!! Oh — it’s also important to know this wasn’t as heavy as a regular pasta dish. I think the oat milk and whole wheat flour helped, but it didn’t weigh us down. Yum!
Thanks so much for the review–happy you loved it, Leslie!
We just had a baby and I was looking for something quick and easy but also on the healthier side. This fit the bill! I had a rotisserie chicken in the fridge that I used in place of cooking any. I added one lemon worth of lemon juice to the sauce and skipped the baking. Really tasty. We will definitely be having it again.
Huge congrats, Abigail! This one’s perfect for those busy postpartum days. Great idea to add in rotisserie chicken – glad you enjoyed!
I had bought all the ingredients to make the spinach and goat cheese stuffed chicken and was about to start when the website highlighted this recipe. My husband and I couldn’t resist how good pasta sounded on a Saturday night, so we decided to make this instead. We added the mushrooms and fresh thyme that were in the other recipe since we had them. We also added zucchini. I didn’t want to use only part of a bag of pasta, and my pasta was like 17g, and we had 1.72 lbs of chicken, so we pretty much doubled everything else. We used white wine with the onions and mushrooms while they were caramelizing. We used 2% cow milk since we happened to have that. It turned out delicious! What a treat. Love your recipes sooo much!
YAY! Happy to hear it came out great and that it is a hit ❤️🙂
I’ve made many of your recipes and loved them all! I was recently diagnosed with high BP and high cholesterol so I immediately made some major changes. At the same time I quit smoking, lost 20 lbs and quit caffeine, but the worst change of all is what I had to do to get my diet on track because I love salt!!! Salt is manna! Salt is the ultimate flavor enhancer….well, you get my point. I tried recipes that are “heart healthy” but they’re so bland I figure why eat it? Hey, at least it helped me drop pounds. Yuk! Then, I went back to my favorite site, AK. I have to make a few mods but, who cares! Your recipes are incredibly flavorful and healthy!
I made Incredible Caramelized Onion Spinach Chicken Pasta Bake and OMG even with my mods it was fabulous! I could actually taste the wonderfulness! the onions added so much that next time I make it I’ll add more! I won’t bore you by saying I did this and I did that, nope, it was just plain delish and even my poor salt free husband loved it! But he loves all your recipes too!
Ok, I’m finally done. Thank you Monique for bringing back the flavor in our lives! Next up is the One Pot Moroccan-Inspired Chickpea Quinoa Salad!
Laurie
So delicious! It did not taste like the flavor we thought it would—but in a delightful way. It seems like it would be super “Alfredo”-y but the caramelized onion really changes it. Highly recommend!
I just made this incredible recipe last night for dinner and oh my goodness it was delicious! My husband couldn’t stop raving about it, like after every other bite he was saying how much he loved the flavors and everything about it.
Having never caramelized onions before, the total prep/cook time took a little longer – but is so worth it! I used gluten-free Jovial shells (the best), almond milk and almond flour. Each bite has a slightly different flavor so you just want to keep eating more. And we did eat more than we should’ve so it will be less tonight. I’ve been asked to make this as often as I’d like.
I can always count on delicious and satisfying recipes here and so appreciate the meals that can easily be made gluten-free!
Aw this means so much! I am so glad this recipe came out great and you are loving it! Appreciate your comment ❤️
Absolutely delicious. My husband said this needs to be in my regular recipe rotation. I paired the pasta with a green salad and it was perfect!
Indulgent, delicious and filling!
Yay! Glad you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
This is great comfort food, but we found it a little bland.
So sorry to hear that, did you change up any of the seasonings?
Super tasty! Loved this recipe and it was really easy to come together. I am dairy-free so made some subs: almond milk, dairy-free butter, nutritional yeast for Parmesan. Super soothing, filling and satisfying meal 🙌 thank you ~
Excellent! So glad you enjoyed this recipe and it turned out great ❤️
I found this recipe a little bland. Good comfort food.
So sorry to hear that. You can always adjust the seasonings per your preference!
I loved this recipe! I just think that there was too much salt added to the sauce. I only added half a teaspoon when it called for 3/4 and it was still too salty. I’d recommend 1/4 teaspoon or skipping it because the parmesean is salty on its own.
This recipe was fantastic. I used Banza chickpea pasta and gluten free breadcrumbs. The flavor was great. I was in a hurry and needed to make 2 of them so I cheated and used canned chicken. It still tasted great. This a great dish to make ahead and take to someone–just add the breadcrumbs right before you bake it. Thanks for all the great recipes. I use your site all the time. I don’t know what I used to cook before I found you!
Ah yum! I am so glad you are loving this recipe and it turned out great for you 🙂
Hello! So excited to try your recipes! Do you think I can sub chicken or beef broth/stock for the milk? Would that not work? TIA!
It won’t turn out as creamy. Let me know if you give this recipe a try!
I truly rarely ever leave comments, but this dish is amazing. I cook 5-6 nights a week, and try many, many new recipes on a regular basis. My husband said this is one of the best things I have ever made – it is in a weekly rotation now (a rarity in our house) and we have made it for every guest/dinner party we have had since discovering it. The last few times I added artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes and its amazing. A great recipe as is, but also a great base to try new additions.
Aw thank you so much, Katheryn. So glad this recipe is a hit for you and your husband and you both are enjoying it. Thank you for your review, I really appreciate it!
This was great! I accidentally used vanilla almond milk, but didn’t say anything to my husband to see if he’d notice. Nope! He had no idea. Thanks for the recipe, will be making this again!
AH this is so funny! Glad this recipe was a hit, even with the vanilla almond milk lol
My husband went insane over this. Probably helped that I forgot to get spinach so that got left out. I had some heavy cream to use up, so incorporated a bit with the 1% milk I had. It did seem dry before baking and I ended up making a second round of the sauce, and used probably 2/3 of that. Especially knowing I’d have leftovers and the pasta would probably soak up some of the moisture, it was a good call.
Ahh this is so great! Happy to hear that you are loving this recipe and it turned out great for you!
This has become a regular recipe in our house. I make it without chicken and sub chickpea pasta to still get the protein and it works great! I also like to add some gruyere cheese.
Perfect! I am so glad everyone is loving this recipe and it is a hit, Jenna. Thanks so much for your comment ❤️
Can this be made ahead and cooked another day?
Yes! Check out the full post for make-ahead instructions.
How would you go about making this with cream instead of the milk based sauce? What ingredients would you omit (flour, etc.)?
Wondering if anyone has used a combination of whole milk and chicken broth to make this? I’d love to try one cup of milk and 3/4 a cup homemade chicken broth but I don’t want to mess it up!!
In the sauce? I think that should work!
Was excited to try this after reading all the amazing reviews. It was just OK. My family didn’t love it and frankly it was quite a lot of effort! It did make ALOT so if my family had loved it then it would be worth the time.
There wasn’t enough sauce. If I ever make it again I would 💯 double the sauce. Also I would do less onions- I love caramelized onion but it was quite strong.
I followed the recipe EXCEPT I cooked my chicken breast in the instant pot while I was cooking the pasta on the stove (which is how I cook my chicken for most recipes because I don’t like to handle raw meat and it chops or shreds easily this way).
Sorry to hear that it wasn’t a big hit! I’ve always found that this had enough sauce to coat the chicken and pasta. Did you by chance use more chicken than the recipe called for? That’s all I can think may have happened, or that the sauce may have thickened up to much before adding it to the pasta bake. Either way absolutely feel free to double the sauce and reduce the onions next time – this one’s flexible! Be sure to salt to taste when you’re making the sauce, too, because salt = flavor when it comes to a cheese sauce.
Just made this tonight and it was a big hit!!! Everyone loved it and my nephew went back for a 2nd big helping and he’s a picky eater. Based on a previous reviews, I doubled the recipe and added mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, some artichokes-and baked in a lasagna pan. Truly delicious and will be saved under my ‘favorites’ to make many times in the future!! Thank you Monique!!
Amazing! Love those mix-ins 🙂
If I wanted to use a 12.75×10.4 inch pan, would I be able to multiply the recipe by 1.5 without the pan overflowing?
Hi! I think that should work well.
I love your recipes, especially because we are a gluten free home. I made this with Bob’s Red Mill GF all purpose flour and it was the consistency of velveeta! If we threw the roux against the wall, it would stay there forever. Because I used the status quo GF flour and it happened almost immediately, I thought it might deserve a note within the recipe itself. It is easy to test via steps 5 and 6. Maybe I needed a higher quality grated cheese? Or had to bake it versus the alternate stovetop method?
Hi! This could be for a few different reasons, but I don’t think the GF flour was the culprit. It sounds like the cheese sauce was overcooked (which causes the cheese proteins to clump together), which can happen if it’s added to the sauce when it’s too hot / the heat is too high on the stove. What type of cheese did you use? The kind from the bag also has additives that can give the sauce a strange texture. Be sure to not overmix the sauce, too, because it can emulsify and create a gummy texture. I hope those help!