“Spinach Dip” Baked Pasta

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This 4-cheese “Spinach Dip” Baked Pasta is such a satisfying comfort food dinner when a pasta craving hits!  The penne is tossed in a creamy, lemony, goat cheese spinach sauce that’s packed with flavor, and is topped with an additional blend of mozzarella, asiago, and parmesan cheeses for a hearty, delicious finish!  There’s just the right amount of chicken scattered throughout to add a bit of protein, and enjoying it while hot and melty is an absolute treat.

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RECIPE NOTES:

The Prep: The majority of the effort that goes into this recipe is for the ingredient preparations!  It does require a little patience if you’re cooking solo, but once everything is ready to go, combining everything is super quick and easy.  (I personally find having a kitchen scale super useful for measuring out the correct quantities of ingredients such as the spinach, goat cheese, chicken, and asiago!)

Storage & Leftovers: Depending on how many people you’re feeding, know that you can easily store leftovers of this pasta in the fridge.  I let the leftovers cool on the counter for a couple of hours, tightly cover the dish with plastic wrap, then place the dish in the fridge.  To reheat, simply microwave your single serving!  (As with all reheated pasta, the texture of the penne is always going to be best on the day of cooking.  Despite that, the leftovers still taste incredibly delicious!)

INGREDIENT NOTES:

The sauce…

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: To create the base of the sauce, the garlic, and then the onions and spinach, are cooked in the olive oil.

Garlic: Garlic is a must for great flavor.  (I love using a garlic press for the best flavor and texture!)

Yellow Onion: The yellow onion adds a ton of dimension to the sauce.  Thin and short slices are the way to go!

Baby Spinach: The spinach is one of the most important ingredients in this dish, so definitely don’t try to swap it for another type of green!  Combined with the hearty chicken pieces and the creaminess of the goat cheese, the bites with spinach are totally the best part!

Goat Cheese: The creamy goat cheese is what really makes this sauce reminiscent of spinach dip!  It’s the perfect thick texture once it has been melted into the sauce.

Lemon: The hint of lemon actually goes a really long way, and does wonders to tie all of the flavors together!

Whole Milk: Whole milk adds liquid to the sauce, helping it to thoroughly coat all of the pasta and chicken.

Crushed Red Pepper: This meal isn’t spicy at all.  The red pepper flakes purely act as a necessary flavor enhancer!

Salt & Black Pepper: I used finely ground sea salt.  The quantity of salt and pepper season the sauce perfectly to take out all of the guesswork…You shouldn’t need any extra when serving!

Pre-cooked Chicken Breast: No need to cook chicken from scratch!  Save time and grab a pre-cooked variety from your local store.  We use one prepared with olive oil, salt, and pepper…This adds just the right amount of flavor without it being too bland or too flavorful, so it would definitely be my recommendation!

The pasta…

Penne: Penne is the perfect pasta shape for this dish!

The cheese topping…

Mozzarella Cheese Slices: Simply tear each mozzarella slice into a few smaller pieces!

Asiago Cheese: Asiago can be tricky to shred because of its softness, so try shredding it while it’s still cold from the fridge!  Do the best you can to distribute it evenly, even if you end up with a few larger pieces.

Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese: I love grabbing a pre-grated, good quality parmesan cheese to save myself a step!  (Of course feel free to grate it yourself if you prefer.)

Kitchen Equipment:

• 9 x 13 Glass Baking Dish

• Garlic Press

• Knife & Cutting Board

• Colander

• Cheese Grater

• Kitchen Scale

• 1 Large Wok (or equivalent)

• 1 Large Pot Or Dutch Oven

• Lemon Squeezer

• Cooling Rack

Servings: Approx. 6

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided, plus extra to grease the baking dish
• 3 Cloves Garlic, pressed
• 1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped into thin, short slices
• 7 oz Baby Spinach
• 7 oz Goat Cheese
• Juice Of Half A Lemon
• 1/2 Cup Whole Milk
• 1 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
• 1/8 Teaspoon Salt, I used finely ground sea salt
• 1/8 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• 7 oz Pre-cooked Chicken Breast**, cut into small bite-sized pieces
• 16 oz Penne Pasta
• 3 oz Mozzarella Cheese Slices, torn into pieces
• 3 oz Asiago Cheese, shredded
• 1/3 Cup Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese

**see Ingredient Notes above for recommended seasoning

Directions:

PREP

Very lightly grease a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with olive oil

Peel and press the garlic, chop the onion, and wash the spinach

Prepare the cheeses and the chicken, then set everything aside

COOK THE SAUCE & PREPARE THE PASTA

In a large wok, warm up the pressed garlic in 1 Tbsp of the olive oil over medium heat

Add in the onion, and cook until translucent

Add the other 1 Tbsp of olive oil along with the spinach and cook until fully wilted, stirring consistently

(Begin separately cooking the pasta according to package instructions in a pot, and preheat the oven to 375º)

Add in the goat cheese and the lemon juice, then stir everything together until the goat cheese has thoroughly melted in

Lower the heat

Add in the milk, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper

Stir the chicken pieces into the finished sauce

Turn off the heat

COMBINE & BAKE

Drain the cooked pasta and add it into the spinach sauce in the wok, stirring together until evenly combined

Pour everything into the 9 x 13 dish

Evenly distribute the mozzarella pieces, asiago shreds, and grated parmesan over top

Bake at 375º for 22 minutes (the cheese will be melted and you’ll see some areas turning golden)

Place the dish on a cooling rack, and let cool for a of couple minutes

SERVE

Serve while hot and melty, and enjoy!

[Leftovers can be stored airtight in the refrigerator – I cover the cooled baking dish with plastic wrap.]