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This high protein spinach and artichoke pasta bake with chicken is the perfect weeknight pasta recipe. Inspired by a creamy spinach artichoke dip, this pasta bake features flavorful cheesy pasta mixed with spinach, artichoke, and chicken. Made with lighter ingredients, this is a high protein dinner that you can make ahead of time and reheats wonderfully.
Made with simple but flavorful ingredients, this chicken pasta bake with spinach and artichoke is an easy weeknight meal that your whole family will love and doubles as a meal prep or freezer-meal!
Why You’ll Love Pasta Bake
- As someone who loves to pick up a Costco rotisserie chicken during my weekly grocery shop, this spinach artichoke pasta casserole is the perfect way to use it! It’s an easy recipe that you can whip up even when tired from making your way through a Costco! Thanks to the cooked chicken, it takes less than 30 minutes to get dinner on the table. Who doesn’t love a 30 minute meal?
- I love a good creamy and cheesy pasta but like my Greek yogurt spinach artichoke dip, this pasta bake uses lightened up ingredients but doesn’t compromise on flavor. It’s still creamy, cheesy, and delicious but it is also lighter on the calories while still being high in protein. I love a delicious high protein dinner and this one will give you 41 grams of protein per serving!
- Like most pastas (like my cottage cheese pasta bake!), this one is meal prep and freezer-friendly! So you can make a double batch and freeze half for another day or portion out the spinach artichoke chicken pasta for the entire week and reheat it for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Like most of my pasta bake recipes, most of what you need are very simple ingredients! These are the key ingredients, but you can find the full list of ingredients in the artichoke and spinach pasta recipe card down below!
rigatoni pasta — I love using rigatoni pasta for this as it’s a sturdy pasta that can hold all of the chicken, spinach, artichoke, and cheese but you can use your favorite pasta! To be honest, sometimes I’m making this with a mishmash of different pastas because I have multiple opened boxes in the pantry that need to be used up. Do what you must!
light cream cheese — I use half a block of light cream cheese. Sure, you can use full-fat cream cheese, but to keep this spinach artichoke pasta with chicken light, I’m using light cream cheese. Make sure you allow it to soften to room temperature so you can mix it easier.
plain Greek yogurt — this helps add to the creaminess of the spinach artichoke chicken pasta but if you don’t have any, you can split the difference with the cream cheese and mayonnaise. I do like the extra little boost of protein the Greek yogurt adds. Make sure you’re using plain and not flavored Greek yogurt. Regular yogurt is not a great substitute as it’s sweeter and you won’t get the extra protein.
light mayo — again, it’s your choice if you want to use regular mayo but I’m using light mayonnaise. Use what you have!
seasoning — I use a combination of Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
fresh baby spinach — I prefer baby spinach as the leaves are more tender and sweet compared to regular spinach.
cooked rotisserie chicken — chop it or shred it, it’s up to you! If you don’t want to buy a rotisserie chicken, you can also cook some chicken breasts or chicken thighs and use that. Alternatively, you can check out my Instant Pot whole chicken recipe, air fryer whole chicken, roasted chicken, or slow cooker whole chicken to make a whole chicken yourself.
artichoke hearts — I use canned artichoke hearts for ease. Simply drain, rinse, drain, and chop them up!
cheeses — I use a combination of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
How to Make Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Bake
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray a 9×13” casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, stopping two minutes short of al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, mayo, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Mix until well combined. Feel free to give it a taste and add more seasoning if desired.
- Add the cooked pasta, spinach, chicken, artichoke hearts, parmesan cheese, and ½ cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Toss well to combine.
- Add the mixture to the greased baking dish.
- Top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, then broil for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese on top is golden brown. Top with some basil and more parmesan when serving, if desired.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- This recipe is pretty versatile. If it’s after a holiday, I like to make it with leftover turkey! Or, you can make turkey instead of chicken for it, if you’re craving turkey. Check out my Dutch oven turkey breasts, air fryer turkey thighs, Instant Pot turkey breasts, dry brine spatchcock turkey, or slow cooker turkey breasts if you need a turkey recipe.
- I like to garnish with basil leaves but it’s not mandatory!
- I don’t cook the pasta all the way to al dente as it will finish cooking in the oven. This will prevent the pasta from overcooking and turning mushy! Always make sure you check the packaging of your pasta to see what their al dente cooking time is.
- Make sure you are using a large bowl to make sure you’re able to fit everything and be able to mix well.
- If you don’t have fresh spinach but have frozen spinach on hand, you can thaw it and squeeze out all the water before using. If you’re worried it’ll still be too watery for the pasta, you can lightly saute it so the water cooks out.
Make Ahead Tips
- Meal prep: once cooled, store the artichoke spinach chicken pasta in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge if you are using rotisserie chicken purchased or made on the same day. If your chicken is already a day or two old, it’ll last 2 to 3 days in the fridge!
- Freezer: allow the artichoke spinach chicken pasta to cool before transferring them into an airtight freezer-safe container before storing in the freezer. Store for up to 3 months. You can freeze it in portions or the whole thing if you plan on reheating it entirely. Like any pasta casserole, allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating it until hot all the way through.
Serving Ideas
While this spinach artichoke chicken pasta casserole is a full meal in itself, I would never say no to a side dish alongside it! Here’s what I think would go deliciously with a pasta bake:
Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Bake Recipe
This healthy high protein spinach and artichoke pasta bake with chicken is the perfect weeknight pasta recipe. Inspired by a creamy spinach artichoke dip, this pasta bake features flavorful cheesy pasta mixed with spinach, artichoke, and chicken. Made with lighter ingredients, this is a high protein dinner that you can make ahead of time and reheats wonderfully.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rigatoni pasta
- 4 ounces light cream cheese, room temperature (half of a block)
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup light mayo
- 1½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 ounces fresh baby spinach, or more
- 4 cups cooked chicken, shredded or roughly chopped
- 14 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
- 1½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, grated or shredded, plus more for topping
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray a 9×13” casserole dish with cooking spray.
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Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, stopping two minutes short of al dente. (It will finish cooking in the oven) Drain and set aside.
-
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, mayo, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.
-
Add the cooked pasta, spinach, chicken, artichoke hearts, parmesan cheese, and ½ cup of mozzarella cheese to the bowl and toss well to combine.
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Add the mixture to the greased baking dish and top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
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Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, then broil for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese on top is golden brown.
Nutrition Per Serving
Calories: 521kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 1026mg | Potassium: 575mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3056IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 312mg | Iron: 3mg
Want More?
Got some pasta that you need to use up? Try making my creamy tuna pasta, canned salmon pasta, one pot chicken, broccoli, and peas pasta, or taco pasta!
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