Chicken, Spinach, and Noodle Casserole
Chicken, Spinach, and Noodle Casserole! Bake and serve your protein, starch and veggie in one big dish, then gather your family to the table for this tasty meal!
What I like best about this casserole is it’s quick to make and the sauce is all homemade! No cans of cream of X, Y or Z to open, which are commonly used in casserole dishes. Not that there is anything wrong with the convenience of using prepared condensed soups! I use plenty of cans of beans and tomatoes in my dishes, and lots of other items that helps cut down the time it takes to put together a meal! I just have limited space in my pantry, so I don’t usually stock creamy soups.
I also really-really dislike opening cans!! Thankfully, my sous-chef doesn’t mind the task (thank you hubby!).
Bottom line, if you have plenty of milk in the house, and a basic stocked kitchen, it is very simple to make your own creamy sauce.
There is really no BIG secret to making the sauce for a casserole, you bind your main ingredients with a roux; whisking real milk, butter and flour together. I add sour cream or Greek yogurt after the milk thickens, then finish it off with some spices. It only takes about 5 minutes of cooking time, which is probably quicker than, opening (ugh!) a can of condensed soup, rinsing the can, and putting it in the recycling bin!
When your sauce is ready, you combine all the ingredients together, pop your casserole in the oven for a quick 10 minutes, and dinner is served!
I have also made this casserole with broccoli in place of the spinach, but I prefer spinach because precooking isn’t necessary. The heat of the sauce steams your greens perfectly!
Chicken, Spinach, and Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups milk
- 1 cup Greek yogurt or Sour Cream
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 12 ounces egg noodles
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 3 chicken breasts cooked diced (about 2 cups)
- 5 ounces baby spinach chopped
Instructions
- Lightly salt your chicken breasts and cook in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Remove from oven and let cool before dicing. Set aside.
- Reset oven to 400 degrees.
- Cook noodles according to the package directions. Drain from water and return them to the pot. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until foamy. Watch closely, you don’t want the flour to burn. Slowly whisk in the milk. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook, whisking occasionally for 3-5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and whisk in yogurt of sour cream, salt, pepper, and thyme.
- Add the milk mixture, chicken, and chopped spinach to the noodles and toss to combine. Transfer to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, sprinkle top with panko breadcrumbs.
- Bake until filling is bubbling, 8-10 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.
This looks delicious! I love that you used greek yogurt in it. My kids would love this kind of casserole.