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This monterey chicken spaghetti is packed with spinach and monterey jack cheese for a new chicken casserole recipe the whole family will love.
I had someone email the other day to ask if I happened to be from the midwest. She said she had a hunch.
Now, you guys, I’m pretttttty certain that this hunch was based on the type of food you see on this blog all the time. I didn’t ask her, so I can’t be sure, but it’s a good guess.
Anyway…what type of food is it that I think screams “this girl lives in the middle of the country, surrounded by corn and cows?”
Casseroles. Lots and lots of casseroles.
My family especially loves chicken casserole recipes. How about yours?
I love them, okay?
I’m always trying new chicken casserole recipes and I’ve hit on a good one right here.
Side note: An all time favorite casserole of ours is this tamale casserole. It’s made with a cornbread base and topped with chicken.
It’s a bit of a riff on something I saw in a Taste of Home magazine for Monterey Spaghetti – I’ve added chicken and omitted the Parmesan, because I’m the boss of my life.
Don’t want to brag, but I make a pretty good boss.
This isn’t your traditional chicken spaghetti recipe, but I think you’re going to fall head over heels in love with it.
This chicken casserole was super easy to toss together and even my youngest ate it, despite all of the green stuff lurking in her noodles. She side-eyed me the whole time, but we made it through dinner without incident.
I’ll take what I can get, you guys.
I really love the Monterey jack cheese in this – it’s mellow and creamy and just plain works. You could swap it out for something with a stronger flavor, like Gruyere or Swiss or maybe even a white cheddar, but I think it’s pretty perfect as it is.
My husband likes more mild cheeses, so this one was a big hit for him too.
The crunchy fried onions are top just really put the whole thing over the top.
If you have onion haters in your life, leave them out of the casserole entirely and just sprinkle them over individual portions. (You can probably tell that I have an onion hater in my life.)
You know the drill – give this a try, snap a photo, tag me on Instagram, and hashtag it #bunsinmyovenrecipe. I can’t wait to see those gorgeous casseroles coming out of your ovens!
For more recipes and videos like this, be sure to follow me on Facebook!
Speaking of chicken casserole recipes, check out my Doritos Chicken Casserole and French Onion Chicken! Or for more pasta, try my chicken Florentine pasta!
I told you I had a thing for the casserole!
Monterey Chicken Spaghetti recipe below!
Monterey Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 6 oz. spaghetti broken into 3 pieces
- 1 cup shredded or diced cooked chicken
- 1 egg
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups grated monterey jack
- 10 ounces frozen spinach thawed and drained well
- 3 ounce can french fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the chicken, egg, sour cream, garlic powder, cheese, spinach, and half of the onions to the bowl and stir well to combine.
- Pour into prepared baking dish and top with the remaining onions.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for 5 minutes more.
- Serve immediately.
Sarah says
This looks so yummy!I like the touch of crispy with the fried onions. Also, it’s a casserole, so its definitely going to be my friend during busier times.
Angelina @ Baked Ambrosia says
This looks delicious!! Definitely going to try this out during the week!
Top 10 Bhajans says
Totally want to make this!!
Michelle Meyer says
Can this be good for leftovers? If refrigerated until heated up again??
Karly says
Absolutely!
Sheena @ Noshtastic says
Casseroles are kind of hard to beat really, especially with all that cheese!
Karly says
Agreed!
Juegos Friv says
That’s so creative and they look so good. I need to add that to my next dinner with friends….
Lindsay | With Salt and Pepper says
YUM!!!! This sounds so delicious and like something the whole family would be on board with! I love spinach and chicken in pasta together 🙂
Christine says
I made a different cheesy chicken spaghetti the other night and my husband said, I wonder if this would work with our spinach artichoke dip? Low and behold, I find this recipe! It looks so good, and I think I will try this and add some artichokes to it!
Suzy says
My husband really enjoyed this super quick and tasty meal! I must admit that I made a few changes based upon what was in my house. I sauteed onions and garlic in with my frozen spinach before adding to the mix. I used left over fried chicken and a weird assortment of cheeses. It turned out great! Though I joked with my husband that it will never taste like this again. Thank you for a great meal idea.
Karly says
Sounds like great changes!
Eva @ Eva Bakes says
My in-laws are from the midwest and they definitely love their casseroles! This looks like the ultimate comfort food, plus some lovely greens, so I bet my daughter would eat it! 🙂
Holly Bryan says
This sounds really great and I am a sucker for casseroles! Would the use of fresh spinach work for this recipe? My sister-in-law keeps me supplied with it…….she lives next door! Thanks for your help.
janel says
I was wondering the same thing. Not sure why it wouldn’t work.
Debs says
I love how simple this recipe is Karly! And it just sounds delicious!
Bunny Peters says
I like the idea of a casserole as it’s a one dish meal (& I am a multi-generation native Californian)….. I often go to potlucks and the one “rule” is that we all need to bring veggie foods.
Could I make this veggie (& swap in cooked kidney beans for the chicken)?
What about using leftover sautéed zucchini, onions and mushrooms in place of the chicken?
Would either of these swaps work? If not, what would you suggest?
Karly says
This original recipe didn’t actually include any chicken, so you can leave it out entirely. Otherwise, I think your swaps sound perfect! I’d probably go for the veggies over the beans, but that’s only because I’ve never had beans in a pasta casserole before and I can’t quite picture it. 🙂
Bunny Peters says
Hi Karly:
Thank you very much for your wonderful quick response!!!!!
Before I take this casserole to my club, I am going to make it for my family (& I TOTALLY agree with you on Monterey Jack cheese as it’s super mellow and “melty”).
I will swap the sautéed veggies for the chicken as you suggested (& I am certain everyone will love it)!!! I will guarantee that any (if there are any) leftovers will be snagged for lunches…….
Donna says
I’ve had spaghetti with chili and it was good.
Amy Dobbelare says
My mom used to make a casserole with spaghetti and kidney beans. It was great. Also had olives if memory serves. It worked warm as a casserole or cold as a salad. As a salad omit the egg.
Andi says
I, too, am from the Midwest. Sadly, one can sort of tell that from looking at me which leads me to my question…do you think this would work with spaghetti squash? Or, like, half spaghetti, half squash? I LOVE carbs (I may have made 4 loaves of bread today), but I need to pack in extra veggies whenever I can.
Karly says
Oh, this comment made me laugh! You can tell by looking at me too. 😉
I’m not sure on the spaghetti squash – I don’t know how well it holds up to being cooked a second time. I’d probably cook the spinach first, then toss it all together and just bake long enough for the cheese to melt.
Beth says
I am anxious to try this with broccoli slaw in place of spaghetti noodles. I use the slaw in place of noodles for lasagna for a healthier dish and it is yummy.Beth
Kathy McAlpin says
This was a hit! I tweeked it a little for more flavor…I used a jar of alfredo sauce, and a little sour cream.
Karly says
Sounds good!
Natasha says
I make a baked spaghetti with spaghetti squash all the time. It’ll work fine, just make sure be you squeeze out any excess water before putting the casserole together.
Betty says
Good to know this, I was questioning about using speggetti squash!
Vivian | Stay Alive and Cooking says
Totally with you – casseroles are just the best! They’re easy and so little clean-up , and I love that you just have everything in one dish. I watched your video and I have to say this looks so good! I’ve never put spaghetti into a casserole before but this seems like a good idea. Thanks for sharing, have a great week!
Karly says
Hope you give this a try!
Sherrie Fields says
Delicious!!!!!