Cheesy Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Pasta with Broccoli is a comfort food family dinner recipe that will feed a crowd using leftover game day dip! Ready in 30 minutes or less!!
As the weather begins to cool down, sometimes you just need to cozy up to a big ‘ol bowl of cheesy pasta, am I right folks? Or if you are totally stressed out because your baby sister is the in the hospital with dangerously high blood pressure and about to give birth to twins a month early AND you are 19 weeks pregnant yourself, HUNGRY ALL THE TIME and an emotional basketcase???
These were all the case for me (the HUNGRY ALL THE TIME part is still happening on a daily basis, but I am told that is just the second trimester of pregnancy – any experts out there? Please ease my worry in the comments…) about a week and a half ago when I ended up making this dish of Cheesy Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Pasta with Broccoli and it literally saved the day!!
After the success of my Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip with a Kick, I knew that I want to recreate the dish into a chicken spinach and artichoke pasta that I just knew the whole family would enjoy!! I love being able to turn leftovers of a dish that we have already loved into another dish that we could equally enjoy 🙂 Y’all know that I am a frugal gal so it goes without saying that I absolutely hate wasting food!! So anytime that I can repurpose leftovers, I am all about it!!
This particular night, we had been up at the hospital all day and were exhausted!! There is something about sitting around a hospital, doing absolutely nothing – except worrying, that can absolutely drain you! We had already eaten out quite a bit that week, so I offered to go home a little before the rest of the crowd and cook dinner. I knew that I had a batch of leftover Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip with a Kick in the refrigerator (because we have been pretty much eating it nonstop since I made it) and thought this might be the perfect opportunity to give my repurposing idea with the chicken spinach and artichoke pasta a try!! I would be feeding a crowd: Lori and Z man were already in town and Gregg was on the way, then there is my family and mom and dad, and even more leftovers in these situations is always a good plan 🙂
This Cheesy Chicken, Spinach and Artichoke Pasta with Broccoli did NOT disappoint!! It was comforting, filling and I snuck in just enough wholesome ingredients (boneless skinless chicken breast, whole grain pasta and broccoli) to go along with the double spinach and artichokes already found in the Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip with a Kick, to keep me feeling really good about serving it to my family during our stressful time!
It actually made quite a bit! I served it that evening with just some simple garlic bread (I would have done a salad but we were out and I was NOT making a trip back to the store!). Then I know we had leftovers of the chicken spinach pasta for several individual lunches and dinners throughout the remainder of the week! It was a godsend!!
Here is your recipe for Cheesy Chicken, Spinach and Artichoke Pasta with Broccoli:
- 1 box (13.25 oz.) whole grain penne pasta
- 1 head broccoli, chopped into florets
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 cups Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip with a Kick
- Sea salt, fresh ground pepper and crushed red pepper flakes, as needed or desired
- Grated parmesan cheese for garnish
- Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Two minutes shy of cooking time, add broccoli florets to the cooking pasta
- Reserve one cup of starching cooking water after cooking pasta and broccoli but before draining. Drain pasta and broccoli. Return to warm pot and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken to the skillet and brown on all sides, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add onions and garlic and saute for 3-5 minutes or until onions are softened and beginning to turn translucent.
- Add Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip with a Kick to the cooked chicken mixture and stir to combine and heat through.
- Add cheesy spinach artichoke dip and chicken mixture and reserved starchy cooking water to the cooked pasta and broccoli. Stir to combine.
- Adjust seasonings as needed.
- Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese
- Serve with garlic bread and/or a simple green salad. Enjoy!!
