Pasta lovers will fall hard for this satisfying chicken spaghetti casserole recipe the whole family will enjoy!
Recipes usually come pretty easily for me. I’m not saying that in an “I’m awesome” kind of way. I just mean that when recipes are simple, there isn’t much that can go wrong. This chicken spaghetti wasn’t one of those flawless executions. In fact, the first version was nearly inedible. Matt said something like, “I usually like everything you make, so I’m kind of shocked that I really don’t like this.” I think there’s a compliment in there somewhere.
This started out to be a skillet cheese spaghetti recipe, but that first version was way too rich. Also, using spaghetti in a skillet recipe is challenging because it’s hard to get it to cook evenly. Sometimes you just want spaghetti though (well, at least I do), so I got back on that chicken spaghetti horse and tried again.
This time I decided I would cook the pasta separately but would still try to make it a stovetop recipe. As I started making the base, it was clear to me that it would be a lot better baked as a casserole, so here we are. Maybe in the future I’ll get back to my stovetop cheese spaghetti idea, or maybe I’ll just make this delicious chicken pasta casserole again.
I almost called this pizza spaghetti casserole because it smells like pizza to me when the onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms are sautéing. It doesn’t have a tomato sauce base though, so that might have been misleading. This recipe actually reminds me of a chicken casserole I used to make all. the. time. when Matt and I were newlyweds. It came out of an old church cookbook and used Rice a Roni, canned chicken, cream of mushroom soup, and was topped with crushed Saltines. I think we can all agree that this made-from-scratch version is a bit more wholesome and high class, and it tastes even better!
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 25 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 8 ounces spaghetti broken in half
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 8 ounces white mushrooms diced
- 16 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
- 15 ounces canned petite diced tomatoes drained well
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- paprika (optional)
Ingredients
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Rate this recipe!
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- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x11" baking dish with cooking spray. (You can use a differently shaped medium-sized baking dish if you don't have this size available.)
- Cook broken spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- While pasta cooks, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, mushroom, chicken, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through. Keep heat fairly high so most of the liquid cooks off in this step.
- Stir yogurt, cheddar cheese, and parmesan cheese into chicken mixture until well combined. Stir in cooked spaghetti until well coated. Pour pasta into baking dish. Spread mozzarella over the top, and lightly sprinkle with paprika and Italian seasoning if desired.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- I chopped the vegetables in my food processor to make them really teeny (and because I'm kinda lazy), but of course you can chop them by hand if you are so inclined.
- I listed this as six servings, but that's if some of the servings are for kids. It may not be enough to feed six hungry adults.
- You can use all mozzarella or all cheddar cheese in this recipe if you prefer.
I think these recipes will be right up your alley too!
Baked Chicken Macaroni
Pamela J Stroud says
Can you substitute cream cheese for yogurt
Jennifer says
Can you make this ahead & freeze it?
Deb says
I don’t like it when someone posts a comment on a recipe and then they list all the changes that they made. However, this recipe inspired me to assemble an awsome casserole with my minor changes. Your suggested recipe turned into my modified keeper! Thanks for posting!
Jeanette says
I made this ‘recipe’ last night. It’s a good thing I started early. This was very very bland. I needed to doctor the casserole just to get my family to eat it. I’ve never written a bad review, however; I felt that I needed to give futures chefs heads up.
Andi Gleeson says
Hi, Jeanette. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe as written. We all have different tastes, and the good thing about cooking is that we can adjust recipes to suit our preferences! Just because you thought it was too bland doesn’t mean it won’t be someone else’s favorite meal. Take care.
Margi says
Do you think I could use zoodles made from zucinni with my spiralizer? Maybe don’t cook them first just bake in the oven with everything? I’m always looking for ways to cut down on carbs so recently got the spiralizer.
Andi Gleeson says
Hi, Margi! Sorry for the delayed response. To be honest, I have never used zoodles, so I don’t know how they would bake up. I think it would work with spaghetti squash. Have you tried that?
Lynnette Lamance says
I personally find your weekly recipes VERY useful
Andi Gleeson says
Glad to hear it, Lynnette! Thank you!
Dalene says
This sounds yummy! I am saving it to my favorite storage place Pinterest, so others will see it too. I am a fan of yours and want to let you know I look forward to you post. :)
Andi Gleeson says
Thank you, Dalene! I’m a bit of a Pinterest addict too. Thanks so much for sharing my recipe!
Liz says
Have a good weekend an thanks for the nice recipe.
Andi Gleeson says
Thank you, Liz!
Norma says
Can use egg noodles instead of spaghetti?
Andi Gleeson says
Hi, Norma. Sure, egg noodles should be fine! :)