Recipe Box - Florentine Pasta
Florentine Pasta from the oven
What started as the possibility of a new frozen meal menu item, quickly turned into a family favorite for well over two years now! It’s not yet made it to the freezer inventory, but maybe soon!
The bones of this recipe is known as “Monterey Chicken Spaghetti.” Four different versions later, we found OURS. So much of the original recipe had changed, it wasn’t right to keep that name. Let’s call this Florentine Pasta, and I’ll explain why.
Big THANKS to Michelina’s TV Dinners for introducing me to their version of Chicken Alfredo Florentine via their Lean Gourmet line of meals. At about $1 per meal, it had everything my 16 year-old-self was interested in eating. Pasta, cream sauce, chicken, and spinach. As a teen, I was making my own version and freezing it to take with me to WIU, and heating it up in my dorm room microwave. It tasted like a version of home when I really needed it (being extremely homesick– I needed it OFTEN).
When renaming this morphed recipe– I was curious, “what is Florentine Pasta?”
Florentine Pasta needs a few things: delicate greens in a rich, buttery sauce served with pasta bathed in creamy, cheesy, and garlicky goodness. I love that this recipe met all the criteria to be considered a “Pasta Florentine.” The 2006 Western Illinois Dairy Princess in me is so proud of showcasing a variety of flavorful dairy products in one dish.
I recommend serving with a fresh salad, and bread of your choice if you wish. Check out optional add-ins below to truly make this a one-dish meal!
Recipe
Approximately 8-9 Servings
Ingredients to Gather
Spaghetti noodles - 12 oz (dried pasta)
Sour Cream - 16 ounces
Cream of Chicken (low-sodium is recommended) - 2, 10.5 oz cans
Cream Cheese, softened - 4 ounces
Monterey Jack Cheese - 2 cups (divided into 2 - 1 cup portions)
Ricotta Cheese (can substitute cottage cheese) - ½ cup
Spinach - 1, 10 oz frozen package (thawed and drained)
Parmesan Cheese - ½ cup
Garlic - 2 cloves, minced
1 cup of milk
French Fried Onions - 6 ounces (divided into 2 - 3 oz portions)
Optional Add-Ins
Grilled Chicken, Grilled Shrimp, or Grilled Beef of choice
Roasted Vegetables (Broccoli, Asparagus, Onions, Peppers, Tomatoes)
Olives, Roasted Red Peppers, Pimentos, or Sun-Dried Tomatoes (packed in oil)
Mushrooms (canned or fresh, recommend sauteeing first for better flavor and texture development)
Florentine Pasta ready to serve
Let’s Make It!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and coat a 9x13 in baking dish with non-stick spray.
Cook noodles according to package directions and preferred doneness and drain. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water to use in case you want to thin the sauce out a bit.
Combine the following in a large bowl: sour cream, cream of chicken, milk, cream cheese, drained spinach (be sure to give it a good squeeze to get all the liquid out), 1 cup of monterey jack cheese, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, minced garlic, and 3 oz of french fried onions. Mix in any other optional add-ins at this time.
Stir in the cooked spaghetti noodles and transfer all to the greased baking dish (depending on how many add-ins, it may require another small greased pan)
Top pasta with remaining french fried onions and cheese.
Bake uncovered for approximately 45 minutes.
Let sit after baking for about 10 minutes, and serve!
This is a make ahead and freeze kind of dish, so save steps 5 and 6 for when it’s time to heat up this meal! I recommend thawing completely first then baking (may have to add time).