This chicken and kale casserole is perfect for an easy weeknight meal or bring it to a family who needs a bit of help with meals.
You all know that I believe in the mantra “everything in moderation,” and I believe in balance.
In other words, you gotta have a little CHEESE with your kale. Can I get an “Amen?”
This chicken and kale casserole fulfills that requirement. Plenty of cheese, plenty of pasta, but plenty of kale and lean protein too. My husband loves this dish (and he’s not a huge cheese fan–aka crazy), and my daughter enjoys it too.
Well, she doesn’t actually eat the kale–just the pasta and chicken. But she’s a two-year-old who dips jicama sticks in hummus so I’m not worried. We’ll get there.
If you’re not crazy for kale, try spinach instead.
When I make a recipe, I try to type it up immediately into a Google doc so I don’t forget any important steps. At the bottom of this recipe, I added this note: “You may prepare ahead of time and store in fridge until ready to bake. This would be a great meal to prepare for another family (illness, baby, etc.), because everything is cooked, and all they need to do is warm it through.”
The crazy thing is, I didn’t remember that until I was finishing up this guest post for Meagan of A Zesty Bite and inserting the recipe. I didn’t realize how perfect it was. Now I just need someone to actually make this and drop it off at Meagan’s house for me. Meagan’s mom has had a brain tumor for a number of years and they just found out that the tumor doubled in size and turned from a benign tumor to a grade 4 glioblastoma. While Meagan is spending this precious time with her family, I wanted to help in the only way I knew how–by providing some content for her blog.
If you’re close enough to bring an actual casserole, chicken and kale casserole is great. If you’re looking for something else, try these:
- Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna Rolls
- Healthy Stuffed Pepper Casserole
- Shepherd’s Pie with beef or lamb
- 20 Minute Italian Turkey Bean Soup
- Creamy Chicken Spaghetti — one pan, endless variations!
- Slow Cooker Marsala Beef Stew
- Stuffed Shells Recipe
- Chicken Tortellini Soup with Kale and Pesto
Used in this recipe:
Chicken and Kale Casserole with Whole Wheat Pasta
Ingredients
- one 13.25 ounce box whole grain pasta shells
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced small
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1.5-2 bunches of kale, tough stems and ribs removed, torn or chopped into bite-sized pieces
- salt and pepper
- 3-4 cups of cooked, chopped or shredded chicken (I used a 1 ½ pound package of boneless skinless breasts, cooked)
- 30 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ cup loosely packed parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot, or dump into a very large bowl.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until onion is softened, stirring frequently (2-3 minutes). Add kale, cover and cook for about five minutes or until kale is tender. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Transfer to pot or bowl with pasta.
- Add chicken, cheeses, lemon zest, and parsley. Stir until ricotta and all other ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Spread into a 9×13 pan, and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and golden brown.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
She’s totally a great eater even though she skipped the kale. That’s awesome!
Oh that is so very sad :( I just started following her blog and love it… that must be so hard. I remember the abundance of casseroles that showed up at my house when my Dad died and while it was kind of funny seeing them all stacked up like that, it really did help my family not have to worry about cooking food all week. And this would be an amazing thing to bring as well.
Love me some casserole comfort food!
Absolutely my kind of dish-lots of veggies, lots of cheese, and lots of carbs. YUM!
This sounds so great Rachel!! I love it!
First of all…Amen! haha Even though I’m doing this weight watcher thing, I am NOT giving up REAL eggs with yolk (yes people freak out about it) and cheese! haha so I totally agree!! :)
This pasta dish looks great! I’m so sorry to hear about Meagan’s mom. I’m off to show some love!
This sounds so good, Rach! I love kale and I love how creamy this looks.
This combo is great! I love kale and those cheesy noodles are calling my name!! Excites to go check the recipe out!
Cheese is definitely a must! This combination sounds great. Love love love easy weeknight meals like this!