You can’t really go wrong with this easy chicken, pasta & kale casserole, so I made this for Sunday family dinner, and everyone loved it, even the kids!
Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced, or you can mince them
- 2 bunches of kale. I remove the stems and ribs, then coarsely chop the leaves
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken. I used a rotisserie chicken.
- 1 large container of part-skim ricotta cheese (32 ounces)
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons of grated lemon zest. I used 2 large lemons.
- 12 ounces large shell pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
Here’s how to put it all together:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water for the amount of time suggested on the package. When done, drain and put back into the pot.
In a large skillet, melt the butter and saute the onion and garlic until they begin to turn translucent or about 4 to 5 minutes on medium to medium-high heat.
Add the kale and cover, cooking until the kale is tender. About 5 more minutes. When done, put in the large pot with the pasta.
Add to the pot the chicken, ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
Grate the lemon and add zest to the pot. If you don’t have a Microplane for grating, you might want to invest in one. They are great for grating your own nutmeg.
Season with salt and pepper.
Butter a 9×13 baking dish and transfer the mixture to the pan. Top with the remaining Parmesan cheese and bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Serve warm and enjoy!
