Cheesy Chicken Parmesan Spaghetti Bake Recipe

If you order chicken Parmesan in a restaurant, it might come with a side of spaghetti marinara. This casserole, however, combines both elements in a spaghetti bake that, according to recipe developer Katie Rosenhouse, "comes together quickly for a hearty dish that will serve a crowd," although it also makes for good leftovers if you won't be feeding large numbers of people. The difficulty level is minimal, too. As Rosenhouse tells us, "If you can boil spaghetti, you can prepare this recipe."

Rosenhouse calls this pasta dish "a great weeknight meal to throw together when you want something hot on the table in a little over an hour." While it's practically a one-pot meal, what with the noodles, meat, cheese, and tomato sauce, Rosenhouse says she likes to add a side of cooked vegetables to give her dinner a little more depth. A green salad and some garlic bread, too, might make for nice additions to the meal.

The main ingredients of this chicken spaghetti bake include spaghetti, tomato sauce, and cooked shredded chicken. As Rosenhouse points out, it's "a great way to transform leftovers" in case you happen to have cooked our basic but foolproof whole roast chicken the night before. You'll also need mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, panko (as opposed to plain) breadcrumbs, butter, and a few different seasonings including salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and basil.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Season with 2 teaspoons salt.

Add spaghetti and cook for 7 to 9 minutes until a little shy of al dente.

Drain and return spaghetti to the pot.

Add tomato sauce, chicken, garlic, Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to the spaghetti. Stir to combine.

Transfer half the spaghetti mixture to a 5-quart baking dish.

Sprinkle evenly with half the basil, then half the mozzarella.

Repeat with remaining spaghetti mixture, basil, and mozzarella.

In a small bowl, stir to combine panko, Parmesan, and butter.

Sprinkle panko mixture over the mozzarella layer to coat.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional basil if desired.

If you want to make a few tweaks to this casserole recipe, Rosenhouse says that's perfectly okay with her as she feels that "this dish is totally customizable." For starters, she says that you can use any kind of pasta you like — either long and thin or short and chunky varieties will work. She does, however, recommend that you subtract 1 or 2 minutes of cooking time from the one provided on the box since the pasta will soften up further as it bakes in the sauce.

Speaking of sauce, Rosenhouse advises using "any flavorful, thick tomato sauce," although she says that a meaty one such as Bolognese might be redundant due to the chicken in the casserole. She does note, though that "you can also sneak in some vegetables" if you want to make the dish more nutritious. Among her suggestions are bell peppers, mushrooms, and spinach, all of which can be sauteed and then added to the sauce.

While this dish, as previously noted, was designed to feed a fair number of people — it makes 8 servings in all –- you need not feel compelled to eat it all up the same day it's made. The leftovers, Rosenhouse notes, will last for about 3 days in the refrigerator, although you can also freeze them if you'd like some extra time to finish them.

The quickest, easiest way to heat any frozen casserole is to stick it straight in the microwave, but in Rosenhouse's opinion, leftover cheesy chicken Parmesan spaghetti bake will taste best if you have the patience to allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Once it has thawed out, she advises baking it at 350 F in a covered pan (a piece of foil will work if you don't have one with a fitted lid). She says you can also reheat the casserole in a pan on the stove, suggesting that you can "add a splash of water or broth if the sauce is too thick."