spinach casserole |

With the emergence of cold weather comes the one-dish wonder dinners in my house. Nothing warms you to the core better than a good, ol’ casserole. This dish plays off some lovely green veggies, packing a vitamin punch. You can always mix and modify this dish with some roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomato or goat cheese additions.

Parmesan Spinach, Broccoli and Chicken Bake
12 oz egg noodles
4 TBSP unsalted butter
1/4 C flour
3 C milk
1/2 cup shaved or shredded parmesan cheese
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/3 C plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 C fresh broccoli, chopped and steamed
2 C fresh spinach, chopped
2 C rotisserie chicken, shredded
about 1 C panko crumbs
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
extra parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In large pot, boil water and cook egg noodles according to package directions.

In a large sauce pan, melt butter. Whisk flour until roux forms. Slowly add milk, about 1/4 C at a time, until fully blended. Whisk often at a medium heat until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Whisk in pepper, salt, garlic powder, red pepper, yogurt and parmesan cheese until melted and blended. Remove from heat.

In a 9×13 casserole dish, mix noodles, steamed broccoli, chopped spinach and chicken together. Pour sauce over the top and mix thoroughly until evenly coated. Sprinkle dish with panko and parmesan. Drizzle olive oil over the top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until topping turns golden brown.

Our friendly food bloggers over at the Food Network are celebrating spinach this week as well! Test out any one of these delicious Popeye pleasing meals:

Feed Me Phoebe: Healthy Creamed Spinach
The Heritage Cook: Fresh Spinach with Maple Vinegar Vinaigrette
Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Za’atar Roasted Salmon with Greens
Blue Apron Blog: Saag Paneer at Home
Weelicious: Spinach Cake Muffins
Virtually Homemade: Creamy Spinach and Chicken Casserole
Red or Green: Spinach-Walnut Pesto on Bruschetta with Fried Egg
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Spinach with Sausage, Peppers and Tomatoes
The Sensitive Epicure: Spanakopita Minus the -Opita
Taste With The Eyes: Spinach and Chickpeas in a Bengali Mustard Sauce
Domesticate Me: Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette and a Fried Egg
In Jennie’s Kitchen: Crispy Spinach Latkes
Devour: How to Make Spinach Gnocchi
Dishin & Dishes: Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad with Arugula and Baby Spinach
FN Dish: Eat Your Spinach Sides