This Baked Lemon Chicken Spaghetti Primavera is a baked pasta dish that has plenty of chicken and fresh vegetables in a light and creamy sauce. It’s topped with a light layer of cheese and baked in the oven.
Baked Lemon Chicken Spaghetti Primavera
This pasta dish always gets a big thumbs up from my family. They love pasta of every kind, and this dish is no exception. The nice thing about this recipe is that you can change up the vegetables to suit what your family likes to eat. There are only three of us in my family, so we enjoy leftovers the next day. The leftovers are just as good!
🛒 Ingredients Needed:
- olive oil
- butter
- all purpose flour
- canned 2% evaporated milk
- Monterey Jack cheese
- shredded Parmesan cheese
- fresh thyme
- lemon
- spaghetti
- garlic
- broccoli, carrot, yellow bell pepper and cherry tomatoes
- cooked chicken breast
- salt and pepper
✏️ How to make Baked Lemon Chicken Spaghetti Primavera:
*The complete, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Preheat the oven to 400℉. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
PREPARE THE SAUCE:
Heat olive oil and butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and stir until lightly browned. Slowly whisk in the milk. Keep whisking until the milk is warmed and has thickened slightly. Whisk in the cheeses, thyme, lemon zest/juice and salt and pepper. Set aside for later.
PREPARE THE VEGETABLES:
While the spaghetti is cooking, prepare the vegetables. In a very large, nonstick skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add broccoli, carrot, and bell pepper. Stir and cook until slightly softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add spaghetti to the skillet and gently toss the vegetables with the spaghetti. Add the chicken, and then add the sauce. Toss to combine. Transfer the pasta-vegetable mixture to the prepared baking pan, spread the cut tomatoes on top, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle cheeses on top. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 lemon on top of the cheeses. Return to the oven and bake until the cheeses are melted and the tomatoes are wilted- about 10 minutes.
➡️ Recipe Tips and Substitutions:
- Change up the veggies in this dish. I’d suggest trying zucchini, peas, mushrooms or asparagus too.
- Use spaghetti or any other type of pasta for this recipe.
- Make sure the pasta is boiled and cooked to al dente (just shy of being soft). You don’t want mushy pasta in this dish.
✔️ Make ahead instructions:
It’s okay to make this dish early in the day, cover with plastic wrap and then bake at dinnertime. You can even do this the night before and bake the next day.
❤️ What I Love About This Recipe:
- I love the flavor in this dish. Chicken casserole is great, but the added lemon flavor is a big bonus.
- Sometimes I add more cheese to the top. I love melted cheese on pasta!
- I love that this recipe feeds a good amount of people. And the leftovers are fabulous.
If you’re looking for more pasta recipes, you might also enjoy my Cheese Ravioli with Brown Butter and Fresh Tomato Sauce this Rotini with Shrimp. Chicken Tetrazzini, Million Dollar Spaghetti, and Linguine with Tomatoes, Basil and Brie are great pasta recipes too!
Baked Lemon Chicken Spaghetti Primavera
Ingredients
SAUCE:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- Two 12-ounce cans 2% evaporated milk
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 medium lemon, juice and zest
- salt and pepper, to taste
MAIN DISH:
- 14.5 ounces spaghetti, cooked until al dente
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 medium garlic cloves
- 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 1 large carrot, peeled & chopped
- 1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped or thinly sliced
- 2 cups cooked and chopped chicken breast
- 1½ cups halved cherry tomatoes
- salt and pepper, to taste
TOPPING:
- ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ½ medium lemon, juiced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
PREPARE THE SAUCE:
- Heat olive oil and butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and stir until lightly browned. Slowly whisk in the milk. Keep whisking until the milk is warmed and has thickened slightly. Whisk in the cheeses, thyme, lemon zest/juice and salt and pepper. Set aside for later.
PREPARE THE VEGETABLES:
- While the spaghetti is cooking, prepare the vegetables. In a very large, nonstick skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add broccoli, carrot, and bell pepper. Stir and cook until slightly softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add spaghetti to the skillet and gently toss the vegetables with the spaghetti. Add the chicken, and then add the sauce. Toss to combine. Transfer the pasta-vegetable mixture to the prepared baking pan, spread the cut tomatoes on top, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle cheeses on top. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 lemon on top of the cheeses. Return to the oven and bake until the cheeses are melted and the tomatoes are wilted- about 10 minutes.
- Scoop into dishes and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I loved this
But I have a question mine was a little to thick not sure what I did! Any suggestions?