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Pasta dinners have a reputation for being quick, but let's be honest: Bringing a pot of water to a boil takes forever. Okay, maybe not actually forever, but it can feel that way. Enter this clever no-boil baked chicken pasta, which allows the oven to do the work. Unlike most baked pasta dishes, you'll skip the pot of water and instead just add more water to the baking dish. Not only does this cut down on dishes, the hands-off approach adds a little breathing room to dinnertime.
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An ode to baked ziti, this dish is amped up with chicken and spinach and features fun, twirly fusilli pasta rather than ziti. Of course, if you like, you can use another short pasta like ziti, penne, or orecchiette instead. You can mix up the meat too. Substitute cooked, crumbled sausage or cooked ground beef for the rotisserie chicken, or leave the meat out entirely for a vegetarian version.
Yields: 6 - 8 serving(s)
Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 1 hr. 35 mins
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 4 c. packed baby spinach (about 4 oz.)
- 3 c. chopped rotisserie chicken (from 1 rotisserie chicken)
- 1 (24-oz.) jar marinara sauce or 3 c. homemade marinara
- 3/4 lb. fusilli pasta
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2" cubes
- 1/4 c. packed fresh basil, chopped, plus whole leaves for serving
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 c. water
- 1 (15-oz.) container whole-milk ricotta cheese (about 2 c.)
- 1/4 c. grated Parmesan (from about 1 oz.)
Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400º. Grease a 13"-by-9" baking dish with cooking spray.
Step 2
In prepared dish, combine spinach, chicken, marinara, pasta, mozzarella, basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Top with water and stir until well combined. Spread in an even layer and dollop ricotta over top, then sprinkle with Parmesan.
Step 3
Tightly cover dish with foil. Bake until pasta is about half cooked and sauce is bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until pasta is cooked through and sauce is bubbly (sauce will continue to thicken as it cools), 10 to 15 minutes more. Let cool 15 minutes. Top with more basil.
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