Chicken & Greens Pasta Bake

It’s a rule at my house that if I put pasta in it, my kids will eat it.  On this night, I made a quick chicken and Swiss chard pasta bake with some Swiss cheese to boot.  If you have your chicken ready to go, this whips up in no time flat.  You can poach your chicken on the stove, in the slow cooker (that’s what I did!) or buy a rotisserie chicken all ready to eat and just shred that.  Assemble, bake and enjoy.  That’s the kind of easy I need on a Tuesday. xo

This recipe serves four to six.

Shopping List
1 pound of cooked and shredded chicken ready to use
about half a pound or so of pasta (I used rotini), cooked and ready to use
a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
6 slices of bacon, chopped (I used turkey bacon)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
about 8 green onions, chopped
3 cups of chopped Swiss chard
1 (10 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup of milk (I used 2%)
lots of salt and pepper
1½ cups shredded Swiss cheese

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Grease (I used Pam) a 9×13 baking dish.  Set aside.

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add in a drizzle of EVOO followed by your chopped bacon.  Stir the bacon around a few minutes until the pieces are nice and crisp then add in your chopped garlic and stir another minute.  Next, add in your chopped green onions followed by your chopped Swiss chard.  Add another drizzle of EVOO down on top of the Swiss chard as you allow everything to heat up together.  After the Swiss chard has sauteed a few minutes, stir in your cream of chicken soup and milk followed by a big pinch of both salt and pepper.  Next, stir in your cheese followed by your chicken and pasta.  Toss everything together and then pour it into your prepared baking dish.  Pop this dish in the oven and bake it about 18 to 20 minutes or until it’s nice and bubbly and slightly browned on top.

Remove the casserole from the oven and serve.

You have your pasta, your chicken and your greens all in one casserole.  I call that a win for a busy week night!