Baked Chicken and Mushroom Pasta
This easy Baked Chicken and Mushroom Pasta is the perfect family-friendly dinner! You just need one baking dish and an hour for this creamy, cheesy pasta dish.
Baked Pasta with Chicken and Mushrooms
This delicious Baked Chicken and Mushroom Pasta is impressive enough for company but easy enough for a busy day. You need very little prep time for this chicken pasta bake… There’s no searing the chicken, sauteing vegetables, or boiling pasta! Everything cooks together in one baking dish in this hands-off dinner recipe. It’s perfect for those busy nights when the kids need help with homework or you want to visit with your guests instead of fussing over the stove!
Why you’ll love it:
- Easy – This is a hands-off recipe that uses just one pan. You can easily prep this in advance as well for a quick “get home and pop it in the oven” dinner. These ingredients are all easily available for a convenient, inexpensive recipe.
- Well-Balanced – This dish has the perfect blend of decadence (pasta, cheese, juicy chicken thighs) and nutrition (mushrooms, spinach). It’s super filling and hits all the savory, delicious flavor notes you want from a classic pasta dish.
- Freezer Friendly – This is the PERFECT meal for stocking the freezer for a growing family or sick friend! This will last up to 3 months, making it a great emergency meal for later.
Ingredients
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need for this mushroom pasta bake. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the printable recipe card with exact measurements.
- Chicken thighs – I used these because they stay super juicy, and they’re often very cheap. You could swap these out for skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins to lower the fat content if you prefer.
- Low-sodium chicken broth, Half-n-half, and Flour – This will form the base for the pasta sauce, and it’s what the pasta will cook in. The flour can be all-purpose or a gluten-free alternative like cup4cup or GF Bisquick. If you don’t have half-n-half, just combine equal amounts heavy cream and milk to make some yourself.
- Dry pasta – I used farfalle bowtie, but rigatoni, ziti, or penne would have a similar cook time. Gluten-free pasta works great.
- Mushrooms and Baby spinach – Use your favorite variety of common mushrooms (baby bellas or white mushrooms work fine). Make sure to use fresh spinach as frozen spinach adds way too much moisture and creates a very watery sauce that does not stick to the pasta.
- Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese – Mozzarella gives you the stringy, melty, classic cheesy texture we love, and it perfectly complements the veggies. The parmesan adds a nutty flavor we love.
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning mix, Garlic powder, Onion powder, Salt, Crushed red pepper
For this recipe, you’ll also need a baking dish (any 2.5-3.5 quart dish will work including a 9×9″, 10″ round, or 11″x7″), a whisk, some aluminum foil, and an oven. You may want additional parmesan, red pepper flakes, and some fresh parsley, basil, or thyme to garnish.
How to Make Baked Chicken & Mushroom Pasta
This easy, one-pan pasta is so simple and great for beginners! Here’s a step-by-step guide to making this cheesy weeknight dinner recipe.
Make the sauce
First, grease your baking dish and preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Combine the seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and set it aside for now.
Pour the broth, half-n-half, and flour into the greased dish, then whisk to combine. When mixture is smooth and there are no clumps of flour remaining, you can move on.
Add pasta, chicken, and seasoning
Pour in the dry pasta, spreading it evenly around the dish, making sure each piece can be submerged in the liquid. Add in the chicken, then sprinkle the seasonings over to coat. Add in mushrooms, again making sure they’re spread out evenly.
Bake
Cover the dish with aluminum foil, tightly wrapping it so that the steam won’t escape during the cooking process. Bake for 45 minutes.
Add spinach and cheese
After 45 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven and uncover. Add in the spinach and cheese, then stir to distribute well.
Finish baking
Return the pan to the oven (uncovered this time) and allow the creamy chicken pasta to bake another 5 minutes. Once the spinach is wilted and the cheese is melted, remove from oven and allow to sit for just a few minutes before serving.
How to serve Chicken Spinach Pasta
A little sprinkle of chopped fresh herbs, some additional parmesan cheese, and a little cracked black pepper is all this tasty dinner needs. We love that this hearty baked pasta has enough protein and veggies to be a whole meal in itself! If you’d like to stretch it further, serve these AMAZING smashed brussels sprouts with lemon aioli.
More sides and apps to serve with pasta:
Store
This pasta should be kept in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. This recipe reheats well in the microwave, so you could spoon leftovers into individual portions for lunches!
Freeze
This is a great freezer meal! If you are going to freeze this, it’s best to make it in a foil pan and bake according to instructions UNTIL THE LAST STEP. After baking 45 minutes, pull from the oven, stir in spinach and cheese, then allow the whole dish to cool. This allows the spinach to wilt and cheese to melt some, but they will finish when you reheat it later. Enjoy within 3 months for the best taste and texture.
Reheat
The easiest way to reheat individual portions is to microwave them. Transfer to a microwave-safe dish, then blast in 1-minute intervals at 70% power, repeating until warmed throughout. For larger portions, the oven is your best bet–Simply cover with foil and heat at 350 degrees until warm and bubbly. The timing will depend on how much you’re reheating, but start checking at 15 minutes, then every 5 minutes after that.
If frozen, I recommend allowing it to thaw in the fridge overnight. You don’t have to, but it does greatly help the texture!
If you love this pasta recipe, you’ll love these easy dishes!
- Homemade Hamburger Helper – That classic flavor we all love but with simple pantry ingredients instead of a box!
- Tuscan Chicken Pasta – You will love the creamy parmesan sauce and amazing Italian flavors in this easy one-pan recipe!
- One Pan Sausage Cheese Pasta – This one is ready in 20 minutes and super flavorful! Great for a busy weeknight.
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta – Our favorite flavor combination comes together perfectly in this easy, 30-minute dinner recipe.
- Garlic Parmesan Pasta– Gluten free pasta is covered in a creamy wine sauce and topped with cherry tomatoes and is ready in only 20 minutes!
- Want more? Check out this list of One Pan Pasta Recipes!
Get the Recipe: Baked Chicken and Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup half n half
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour GF Bisquick or cup4cup if gluten-free
- 8 oz dry pasta gluten free
- 1 lb raw chicken thighs boneless/skinless, diced into 1-inch pieces
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1 ½ cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan
Seasoning:
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and grease a 9×9 baking dish. In a small bowl, combine all the seasoning ingredients and set aside.
- Pour in the broth, half n half and flour. Whisk the mixture in the pan until well combined.
- Add the dry pasta and spread it out evenly so all the noodles are submerged in the liquid.
- Top with raw chicken, then sprinkle the seasoning over the raw chicken.
- Spread the mushrooms over the chicken. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and remove the foil. Stir in the spinach and cheese. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes to allow the cheeses to melt and spinach to wilt. Serve!
Notes
- Any 2.5-3.5 qt baking dish will work for this recipe, I used a 2.5 qt oval dish.
- You can use chicken breasts for this as well to make it a little leaner.
- Store leftovers for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. You can also make this a freezer meal by completing steps 1-5 in an aluminum pan, then stirring in the spinach and cheese and allowing it to cool. Cover with foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
