Martha Stewart Chicken And Kale Casserole Recipe

I did not think kale belonged in a baked pasta until Martha put it in one with ricotta, lemon zest, and Parmesan and made me eat my words. Martha Stewart’s Chicken and Kale Casserole is a baked pasta shell dish loaded with two bunches of kale, shredded rotisserie chicken, a full container of ricotta, and enough lemon zest to wake everything up, baked at 350 degrees until the top turns golden.

This casserole recipe feeds eight people and I am not exaggerating when I say it disappears. I bring this to potlucks every fall because it travels well, reheats easily, and nobody believes kale can taste this good buried under ricotta and Parmesan.

Try More Dinner Recipes:

• Baked Ziti
• Chicken Tetrazzini
• Chicken Divan

Why You Will Love This Chicken Kale Casserole:

• Kale disappears into the ricotta: People who say they do not like kale eat this without complaints. The kale cooks down, gets folded into a mountain of ricotta and Parmesan, and loses that tough, bitter edge. By the time it comes out of the oven, it just tastes like creamy pasta with greens.
• Rotisserie chicken means no cooking meat: You pull apart half a rotisserie chicken from the store, stir it in, and you are done. That saved me at least 30 minutes compared to cooking chicken from scratch. Martha knows her shortcuts.
• It feeds a crowd from one dish: Eight servings from a 9-by-13 pan. I make this when family is coming over and there is never a single shell left in the dish. The ricotta and pasta fill people up in a way that a regular salad casserole never does.

Chicken And Kale Casserole Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3/4 pound large pasta shells
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion, diced medium
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bunches kale (1 1/2 pounds), tough stems and ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped
• 2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken (from 1/2 rotisserie chicken)
• 1 container (48 ounces) part-skim ricotta
• 3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
• 3/4 cup Parmesan, grated (2 1/4 ounces)

How To Make Martha Stewart Chicken And Kale Casserole

1. Preheat and cook the pasta: Set the oven to 350 degrees. Boil the pasta shells in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions. Drain and put them back in the pot.
2. Cook the onion and garlic: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion starts to soften, about 4 minutes.
3. Wilt the kale: Add all the kale to the skillet, cover it, and cook until it is almost tender, about 5 minutes. Move everything to the pot with the pasta.
4. Mix the filling: Stir in the shredded chicken, ricotta, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Bake: Pour the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over the top. Bake until the top is golden, about 30 minutes.

Recipe Tips

• Remove the tough kale stems: The ribs and stems are chewy and bitter even after cooking. Strip the leaves off the stems before chopping. It takes a few minutes but the texture of the finished casserole depends on it. I rip the leaves right off with my hands.
• Do not skip the lemon zest: Three tablespoons sounds like a lot but 48 ounces of ricotta is heavy. The lemon cuts through all that creaminess and keeps each bite from feeling one-note. I forgot it once and the whole casserole tasted flat.
• Use large shells not small ones: Martha says large pasta shells and they are the right call. They hold pockets of ricotta and kale inside each shell. Small pasta just blends into the filling and you lose that texture.

Why Three Tablespoons Of Lemon Zest

I thought it was a typo the first time I read it. Three tablespoons is more lemon zest than most entire recipes use. But this casserole has 48 ounces of ricotta in it, and without the zest it would taste like eating a warm bowl of cheese and pasta with no direction.

The lemon wakes everything up. You do not taste lemon, you just taste brightness. Trust the amount.

What Goes Well With This Kale Casserole

A sharp caesar salad on the side is the best call here because you need something crisp and acidic against all that warm ricotta. Warm bread for scooping up the cheesy bits stuck to the edges of the pan.

I sometimes add glazed carrots if it is a holiday table. But most nights the casserole and a salad is the whole dinner.

How To Store Leftovers

Sealed container, fridge, up to 4 days. The pasta absorbs the ricotta overnight so it firms up, which I actually prefer. Cold slices cut cleanly and reheat in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes.

I have taken cold leftover slices to work for lunch and eaten them at room temperature. They hold together like a thick lasagna and you do not even need a microwave.

FAQs

• Can I use spinach instead of kale? Yes but spinach wilts down to almost nothing so you will need a lot more to fill the casserole the same way. Kale holds its shape better and gives each bite more substance. I have done spinach and the casserole felt emptier.
• Can I use leftover chicken instead of rotisserie? Any cooked chicken works. Martha says to use 2 cups shredded from half a rotisserie chicken but roast chicken, poached chicken, or even grilled chicken from last night will do the same job.
• Can I use whole-milk ricotta? You can. Martha calls for part-skim which keeps it a little lighter. Whole-milk ricotta will make it richer and creamier, which is not a bad thing, just heavier. I have tried both and the difference is small.
• Can I make this ahead? You can assemble everything in the baking dish, cover it, and refrigerate overnight. Add 10 extra minutes to the bake time since it will be cold going in. I do this all the time when I am hosting and it works perfectly.

More Dinner Recipes:

• One Pot Penne With Zucchini
• Spaghetti 101
• Fettuccine Alfredo

Nutrition Facts

(1 serving, serves 8)

• Calories: 480
• Total Fat: 20g
• Saturated Fat: 11g
• Cholesterol: 80mg
• Sodium: 520mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 40g
• Protein: 34g