Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole

There's something about back-to-school commercials, cooler weather and the leaves changing colors that always makes me crave warm decadent casseroles.  My father is the king of casseroles and we grew up having at least one or two a week.  He was the cook in our house and got a kick out of throwing together whatever he could find in the kitchen and coming up with new and unique casserole recipes.  Most of the time they were pretty good - usually a combination of rice or noodles, cheese, chicken and veggies.  Other times, they were not so great.  I remember one particular casserole (which I believe featured canned tuna or salmon or something) that was SO bad that the dogs wouldn't eat it.  We had a strict 3-bite minimum that my dad waived (for the first time ever) that night.

Before there was Mac, I used to love spending hours in the kitchen trying out new recipes and challenging my cooking skills.  I hardly ever stuck to a recipe and loved to experiment with ingredients and make it up as I went along.  Like my dad's recipes, there were some pretty outstanding results, along with some tragic failures.  My biggest obstacle is always patience - I like to cook on high and with wine (for me, not the recipes), so needless to say we've ended up ordering pizza a couple evenings and throwing out whatever I burnt.

However, these days, I don't have the time, energy or patience to cook 5 course meals.  I'd much rather spend my free time after work hanging out with my little man in the front yard, than slaving away in the kitchen.  I'm always on the lookout for quick and delicious one-dish recipes that the whole family will enjoy.  So, when I was asked to share a casserole recipe for Country Crock, as part of their back-to-school #QuickFixCasseroles campaign, I was so excited!  Now my challenge was to come up with something amazing that you would all want to eat.

I sought out the advice of my friend Michelle, one of the most amazing cooks I know and casserole specialist.  Michelle is famous among our friends for her incredible casseroles.  She has one recipe in particular that's a family secret that we've all been begging her to share for years.  I've even offered to sign a Confidentiality Agreement if she'd share it with me, but no such luck.  But she did share this amazing  Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole recipe and gave me the blessing to share it with you.  It tastes just like Spinach Artichoke Dip, only better.  I made a few modifications to the original recipe, just to make it easier and quicker (took about 20 minutes prep time), but it will taste like you spent all day in the kitchen.  This would be a perfect casserole to bring  to a new mom or to a potluck - everyone will be so impressed - they don't have to know how easy it was to make!  Be prepared to be amazed...


Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:
- 1 box spaghetti (or linguini or fettuccine)
- 1 clove garlic; minced
- 10 tablespoons Country Crock spread; divided
- 2 (10 oz) packages chopped frozen spinach; thawed and drained
- 1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled off and chopped
- 1 pound sliced mushrooms
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/8 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup Swiss cheese
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cans artichoke hearts; chopped

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package.  Drain.  Put in casserole dish.
2. Saute garlic in 2 tablespoons of Country Crock spread.  Pour over pasta and stir to coat.
3. Drain spinach well and put over pasta in casserole dish.
4. Layer cooked chicken over spinach.
5. Saute mushrooms in 3 tablespoons of Country Crock spread.  Drain juices.  Set aside.
6. To make sauce: Saute green onions in a large skillet with 5 tablespoons Country Crock spread.  Turn heat down and add flour, parsley, salt and pepper.  Add milk gradually and turn up heat until thickened.  Add cheese, mushrooms, artichokes and lemon juice.
7. Pour sauce over chicken.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

For tons more #QuickFixCasserole recipes, make sure to follow Country Crock on Pinterest.

Did you know that Country Crock Spread has:

• 0 trans fat per serving 
• No partially hydrogenated oils 
• 0 cholesterol 
• 70% less fat than butter per serving
• 30% fewer calories than butter per serving

SO GOOD.  

Anyone else a big fan of casseroles?  

What's your favorite?

** I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.