No-Boil Baked Chicken Pasta

No-Boil Baked Chicken Pasta

from delish.com
20 min

No boil baked chicken pasta features all the delicious elements of baked ziti, but bulked up with chicken, spinach, and fusilli.

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

  1. 1

    Preheat oven to 400º. Grease a 13"-by-9" baking dish with cooking spray.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.