Chicken Alfredo Spaghetti Bake
My kiddos are lovers of all things pasta…but really who isn’t a fan of noodles? I have two kiddos who love pasta with red sauce, and two who love pasta with white. I have to walk the pasta fine line and create recipes that they all will enjoy. One such recipe is anything with alfredo sauce. It has the spices and garlicy flavors of red sauce, with the cheesiness of the white sauce.
Most of the time, I make alfredo on the stovetop, but I thought it would be fun to do a bake with it this time around. My husband brought home spaghetti bits for our food storage last week, and even though alfredo is usually made with heartier noodles, I knew my youngest would enjoy the spaghetti bits.
Chicken Alfredo Spaghetti Bake
Equipment
- oven safe pan
Ingredients
- 1 large chicken breast cubed
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups uncooked spaghetti noodles broken into 2 inch pieces
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Over one burner on the stove, begin boiling water for the pasta. At the same time, on another burner, place the oven safe pan and drizzle with olive oil. Add in the chicken chunks and begin to saute.
- Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked, remove from pan and let rest on a plate. Drizzle the pan with a little more olive oil and add in the onion to begin to cook. Cook and stir for a few minutes until the onion becomes translusent. Add in the garlic and the oregano. Stir to combine.
- By this time the water is most likely boiling. If it is, add in a very small handful of salt and then add in the spaghetti bits. It will take about 5-6 minutes for the pasta to cook to al dente. You will not want to cook the pasta more than that because it will finish cooking in the oven.
- Add in the cream cheese into the pan and stir continuously while it melts. Add in 3/4 cup of the parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Add back in the chicken. Once the pasta is done boiling, spoon into the pan. DO NOT DRAIN THE PASTA WATER. Pasta water is perfect to help thin out any sauce you are making to go along with the pasta. You will need the pasta water for the alfredo sauce. Pasta water is perfectly filled with salt and starches from cooking the pasta. Add in the pasta water, one ladle at a time until the sauce is on the thin side. You will want it thin while it bakes.
- Place the pan in a preheated 375°F oven and let bake for 20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly. Remove from oven and top with the last 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and your choice of fresh herbs. Some of my favorites are basil and chives. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
This recipe can easily omit the chicken, or even substitute it for another protein. Shrimp would be equally tasty. While the cooking time does seem long, it really is a quick and easy recipe to have in your arsenal. Also, if you are anything like me, the ingredients for this recipe are a typical staple in your kitchen. Hope y’all are having an amazing week!
