Baked Cream Cheese and Chicken Spaghetti

Mr. L is a huuuuge fan of spaghetti.  It's one of his favorite meals and definitely a go-to comfort meal, but I'll be honest -- I kind of get tired of eating it the same old way.  I'm always on the hunt for new twists on an old classic like this, so when I came across this recipe for Baked Cream Cheese and Chicken Spaghetti, I knew I had to try it out.

I'm already a fan of a recipe similar to this with ground beef instead of chicken, so I pretty much knew it would be delicious.  And I mean, come on, there's cream cheese right there in the title!  Can't go wrong with that, right?  It definitely is a rich dish, so I'll probably keep this one limited to once a month or so in our menu rotation, unless Mr. L specifically requests it.  Which he probably will!  :)

Ingredients

• 12 oz spaghetti noodles
• 1 large jar of marinara sauce
• Either 1/2 of a shredded rotisserie chicken or 2 cooked chicken breasts
• Extra herbs if you prefer (I added more basil and garlic powder to my taste)
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

Directions

Cook the spaghetti noodles according to package directions.  After draining, put the cream cheese on top of the hot noodles and mix well until the cheese is fully incorporated.  Then add the shredded chicken and marinara sauce and stir together.

Place the spaghetti mixture in a greased 9x12 baking dish and top with the grated Parmesan cheese (be sure to save some for garnishing later).  Pop into a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until bubbly and the cheese has thoroughly melted.  Top with more parmesan and a little basil and serve!