This Chicken Spaghetti Casserole recipe is the best comfort food casserole recipe! It’s a good dinner recipe for cozy winter nights, and it’s one that the whole family typically enjoys too. Watch the video showing you how to make this Chicken Spaghetti Casserole, then scroll to the bottom of this post and print out the recipe so you can make it at home.
When I asked Facebook fans the other day about the possibility of me posting a new casserole recipe, I received an overwhelming response. It seems that there are a lot of casserole-lovers out there! I live in San Diego – not really the Casserole Capital of America. People here eat grilled chicken, tofu hot dogs and salad with no dressing. Casseroles are among the evils that aren’t spoken here in SoCal.
Whatever. I eat casseroles. Must be because all of my distant Swedish relatives live in Minnesota, where comfort food is more welcome. It’s in my genes. And probably my jeans too. The good news is that I lightened up this Chicken Spaghetti Casserole recipe as much as I thought I could.
This is quite the cheesy casserole, and I mean that in a good way. It’s hard to lighten up on cheese since low fat cheeses do not tend to melt nicely, so I charged straight ahead and used full-fat cheese for this recipe.
Don’t worry, you’ll see the calorie count in the end (which is actually not too terribly bad). And you can always use low fat cheese, if you prefer.
What ingredients do you need for Chicken Spaghetti Casserole?
Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe. Yep, we’re doing something I rarely do on my recipe site: using Cream of Mushroom Soup. If that scares you, grab my homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe to use instead. If you use my homemade soup, you may not need to add much milk since it’s not a “condensed” version of cream of mushroom.
How to Make Chicken Spaghetti Casserole:
Boil the pasta, just so it’s kinda al dente (still has a slight bite to it).
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan. Just a tablespoon. We don’t need a whole stick or anything like that since we’re just going to sauté the veggies in it.
Cook the veggies in that melted butter, just until they’re a little bit softened up. Here’s where you can get creative. If you don’t like my choice of veggies (or more importantly, if your family refuses to eat certain veggies), change it up and add in what you’d like.
Mix nonfat milk with fat-free cream of mushroom soup.
Pour that sauce into the veggies.
Mix it up.
Add cheese. I use extra sharp cheddar because I like that it gives a little extra bang of flavor.
It melts into the sauce nicely.
Mix in chopped, cooked chicken and the pasta.
Add some tabasco for flavor. And salt and pepper…
Pour it into a greased baking dish.
It looks pretty, doesn’t it?
More cheese. I like Monterey Jack.
Sprinkle it on the top.
Bake it for a half hour or so, and it comes out all bubbly and hot and melty.
Dish it up and eat!
As mentioned before, this is a lightened up version of this casserole. I’m a firm believer in eating what you want on a diet (normal stuff in moderation). That’s what I did with this recipe. I like to have my one serving, and that’s it! Big side salad to go with. Perfect, and it is filling and satisfying too!
The Best Casserole Recipes:
- Cauliflower Pizza Casserole
- Baked Spaghetti Casserole
- Cheeseburger Casserole
- Beef Burrito Casserole
- Puffed Up Pizza Casserole
- Cheesy Beef and Pasta Casserole
Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
Ingredients
- 7 ounces thin spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup chopped green bell peppers
- Two 10.75-ounce cans 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup nonfat milk
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (can sub reduced fat)
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (san sub reduced fat)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, but only cook it until it’s al dente (you still want a little bite to it). Drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Melt butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, celery and bell peppers. Cook until the vegetables have softened, 4 to 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix milk and soup until smooth. Add this mixture to the vegetables in the pan. Stir in cheddar cheese. Continue to heat the mixture until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth. Add in chicken, pasta and tabasco, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle Jack cheese on top.
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until the casserole is hot and bubbly and golden brown.
Notes
- *If you’re trying to figure out a serving size for this casserole, simply use a knife to divide the pan into 6 equal servings. There’s your serving size (it’s pretty substantial)!
- *Leftovers of this casserole are great for a couple of days after making it.
- *Turn this casserole into a day-after- holiday meal by adding leftover turkey instead of chicken.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The whole family really liked this dish. I put it all together the night before, then just put it in the over when I got home from work.
The only thing I had do different was to cook it a little longer.
Tried making this last night and loved it. Thanks!
Only one complaint; I could eat that entire casserole dish by myself. And I wouldn’t share it with anyone!
I also meant to put on my comment, that I put a bag of steamed broccoli in mine to add something green to it! My husband loves it, just made this last night!
This was a hit in my house. I made it last night and it was so good. Follow the instructions and it came out perfect.
This was super good. Make a huge meal. I was going to ask about freezing but someone answered my question. Casseroles and an extra meal doesn’t get better than that.
I usually double this and freeze at least half of it. It makes a great dish for a covered dish supper or to take to the family when someone dies. Every time I take it anywhere one or two people asks for the recipe!
I love casseroles and I live in San Diego! BUT…..I grew up back East. 🙂
This recipe looks very good.
this looks absolutely delish!! Such a fun, modern take on casserole.
I love hearty food that will fill my stomach. Will definitely try this recipe.