Make Ahead Chicken and Spinach Penne Alfredo

You’re going to love this make ahead Chicken and Spinach Penne Alfredo. It is perfect for giving a friend who is moving, expecting, adopting, or going through a difficult season. It’s an all in one meal that is great comfort food.

The combination of the pesto and Alfredo create a unique taste and the protein and spinach mean that this can be served as a complete meal.

Chicken and Spinach Penne Alfredo Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
• 410 mL jar of Alfredo sauce
• 2 Tbsp. pesto
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 227 g bag of fresh spinach
• 4 cups dry penne pasta

Assembly instructions:

1. Before assembling this freezer meal, cook and cube the chicken.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta. Cook for 1 minute less than the package directions call for. This is because you want the pasta slightly undercooked so that it doesn’t become mushy after freezing and reheating. Drain the pasta.
3. In a skillet on the stovetop, heat the olive oil. Add the spinach and saute until wilted. Mix the Alfredo sauce, pesto, and garlic into the drained pasta.
4. Add the cooked, cubed chicken, pasta mixture and spinach to a large resealable freezer bag. Remove the extra air and seal before freezing.

Assembly instructions:

1. On the day of cooking, thaw the bag before placing its contents into a greased 9×13 baking dish.
2. Bake, covered in a preheated 350° oven for 45 minutes.

Note about cooking the chicken: I usually prepare many freezer meals at one time, so I find that the fastest way to cook large amounts of chicken breasts is to place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook them in the oven. Chicken is cooked once it reaches an internal temperature of 165°. Once it is cooked, I cube the chicken.

If you’re only making the chicken for this one recipe, you can instead cube the raw chicken and cook it in a skillet in a bit of oil on medium-high heat.

Single Serve Portions of Penne Alfredo

With the chicken and pasta cooked ahead of freezing, this meal is perfect for portioning into individual servings. Instead of adding the prepped ingredients into a freezer bag, mix them together in a bowl and portion them into small foil trays or microwaveable freezer containers. Add a lid to each before freezing.

These are great for dinners, making for elderly parents, or taking to work for lunches. Simply warm up in the microwave or if made in a foil tray, reheat in the oven.

What should you serve with Chicken and Spinach Penne Alfredo?

The chicken and spinach penne Alfredo has everything you need for a complete meal so you can serve it on its own or pair it with a fresh garden salad and bread or buns.

How to store leftover pasta:

If you have leftover penne, store in the fridge in an airtight container. Do not re-freeze the leftovers.

Check out these other great casserole-style freezer meals:

• Stuffed Pepper Casserole
• Hamburger Pasta Casserole
• Easy Tuna Casserole

Print

Chicken and Spinach Penne Alfredo Recipe

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hr 15 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 6

Calories: 307 kcal

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cooked and cubed
• 410 ml Alfredo sauce
• 2 Tbsp pesto
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 227 g fresh spinach
• 4 cups dry penne pasta

Instructions

1. Cook chicken either in the oven or on the stovetop and cube it.

2. Cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the directions call for. This is because you want the pasta slightly undercooked so that it doesn’t become mushy after freezing and reheating. Drain the pasta.

3. In a skillet on the stovetop, heat the olive oil. Add the spinach and saute until wilted. Mix the Alfredo sauce, pesto, and garlic into the drained pasta.

4. Add the cooked, cubed chicken, pasta mixture and spinach to a large resealable freezer bag. 

5. Remove the extra air and seal before freezing.

Cooking Instructions:

1. On the day of cooking, thaw the bag before placing its contents into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Bake, covered in a preheated 350° oven for 45 minutes.