# Creamy Low Carb Casserole With Chicken and Spinach

> A creamy low carb casserole with chicken, spinach and mozzarella. 6.6g net carbs a serving, built from cooked chicken and ready in about 45 minutes.

Source: https://www.lowcarbdiet.solutions/low-carb-casserole-with-chicken-and-spinach/

[Recipes › Dinner](https://www.lowcarbdiet.solutions/keto-and-low-carb-recipes/)

## Creamy Low-Carb Casserole
*With Chicken and Spinach*

Cooked chicken, spinach and three kinds of dairy in one baking dish, with no pasta or rice underneath. 6.6g net carbs a serving.

![Ania](https://www.lowcarbdiet.solutions/ania-founder.jpg)

**Recipe by Ania**September 2026 · 6 servings

[Jump to recipe ↓](#recipe-card)

![Baked low-carb chicken and spinach casserole with melted mozzarella in a cream ceramic dish, serving spoon resting in it](https://www.lowcarbdiet.solutions/images/articles/recipes/low-carb-chicken-spinach-casserole.webp)

Low carb

## The starch was doing the bulk, not the flavor.

Some low-carb dinners want twelve ingredients, three pans and a level of enthusiasm that has usually left the building by 6pm. This low carb casserole is the other kind. Cooked chicken, spinach, cream cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan and garlic go into one baking dish, and the oven does the rest.

Most casseroles get their bulk from pasta, rice or a crumb topping, and that's where the carb load sits. Here the bulk is chicken and spinach, and the creaminess comes from cream cheese, sour cream and two cheeses instead of a starch base.

That swap is the whole mechanism. What's left on the plate is mostly protein and fat, with the carbohydrate coming from the dairy and the spinach rather than from a filler, which keeps the load small and predictable across the meal. Predictable matters more than low here. You can eat this on a Tuesday, eat the leftovers on Wednesday, and know both plates behaved the same way.

The practical side is just as useful. The chicken is already cooked, so the oven time is only about heating the filling through and melting the cheese. Frozen spinach keeps the prep short. Parmesan does the work that stops it tasting like chicken in cream cheese.

## Squeeze the spinach dry. Properly.

This is the one step worth slowing down for.

Thawed frozen spinach holds a startling amount of water, and every drop of it ends up in your sauce. Tip it into a clean kitchen towel or a thick stack of paper towel, gather the edges, and squeeze hard until almost nothing comes out.

Dry spinach gives you a creamy casserole. Wet spinach gives you chicken swimming in green soup. Same ingredients, different dinner.

![Creamy chicken and spinach mixture being spread into a cream baking dish, with a bowl of shredded mozzarella beside it](https://www.lowcarbdiet.solutions/images/articles/recipes/low-carb-chicken-spinach-casserole-mixing.webp)

Spread it into an even layer, then the rest of the mozzarella goes over the top.

## Creamy Low-Carb Casserole With Chicken and Spinach

Cooked chicken and spinach baked in a garlicky cream cheese sauce under melted mozzarella.

![Low-carb chicken and spinach casserole with melted mozzarella on top](https://www.lowcarbdiet.solutions/images/articles/recipes/low-carb-chicken-spinach-casserole.webp)

Prep **15 min**

Bake **25 min**

Total **45 min**

Serves **6**

Scale

### Ingredients

- 4 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
- 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed very dry
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 0.5 cup sour cream
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 0.5 tsp onion powder
- 0.25 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella, divided
- 0.33 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil or butter, for the dish

### Instructions

1. 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

2. 2
Squeeze the thawed spinach in a towel until almost no water comes out.

3. 3
Beat the cream cheese and sour cream together in a large bowl until mostly smooth.

4. 4
Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, onion powder, black pepper, red pepper flakes and lemon juice.

5. 5
Mix in the Parmesan and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella.

6. 6
Break the spinach apart and fold it through.

7. 7
Fold in the cooked chicken until every piece is coated.

8. 8
Spread the mixture into the prepared dish in an even layer.

9. 9
Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella over the top.

10. 10
Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until hot through and coloring at the edges.

11. 11
Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

12. 12
Finish with parsley or lemon, if you like.

### Nutrition per serving

**440** calories **39 g** protein **28 g** fat **6.6 g** net carbs

Per serving means one sixth of the dish, roughly a generous cup. Net carbs here means total carbohydrate (8.1g) minus fiber (1.5g). There are no sugar alcohols in this recipe, so nothing else is subtracted. Also per serving: 2.9g sugar, 455mg sodium.

Calculated per ingredient from USDA FoodData Central. Brands move these numbers, particularly the cheeses: bagged shredded mozzarella carries anti-caking starch that block mozzarella doesn't, and some flavored cream cheeses and prepared chickens carry added sugar. If you count closely, read the labels on the packets in front of you.

Nutrition is calculated from ingredient data and will vary with brands, sizes and how much of the sauce ends up on each plate. Treat it as close, not exact.

![A serving of creamy chicken spinach casserole on a plate with a green salad](https://www.lowcarbdiet.solutions/images/articles/recipes/low-carb-chicken-spinach-casserole-served.webp)

One portion with a simple salad. That's the whole dinner.

## What to serve with it

The casserole is rich, so it doesn't want a second rich thing next to it. Something green and sharp is the better partner:

- a crisp salad with olive oil and vinegar
- roasted zucchini
- steamed green beans or asparagus
- sautéed mushrooms
- cucumber and tomato salad

If you like the olive-oil-and-lemon end of that list, it sits neatly inside a [Mediterranean low-carb approach](https://www.lowcarbdiet.solutions/mediterranean-low-carb-diet/) rather than a strict keto one.

## Swaps that work

**Breast or thigh.** Either. Thighs stay moist through reheating, breast gives you a leaner dish. Neither changes the carbs.

**Rotisserie chicken.** The fastest version of this. Pull off the skin and bones and shred the meat. Seasoning and sodium vary a lot between store rotisserie birds, and a few are glazed with something sweet, so the label is worth a look.

**Fresh spinach instead of frozen.** Use 8 to 10 oz. Wilt it in a dry skillet, cool it, then squeeze it out the same way. Carbs land in the same place.

**Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.** Plain full-fat works and tastes tangier. Carbs are close enough to ignore, within a few tenths of a gram across the whole dish.

**Monterey Jack instead of mozzarella.** Melts well, tastes a little richer, and runs slightly lower in carbs than bagged shredded mozzarella. Mild cheddar works too, though it takes over the flavor.

**Mushrooms.** Sauté them first until the liquid they release has cooked off, or the sauce loosens. Eight ounces adds about 0.4g net carbs a serving.

## Make it ahead

Assemble it, cover it, refrigerate it, bake it when you want it. Straight from the fridge it needs several extra minutes, and the center should be properly hot before it goes on the table.

That makes it a reasonable anchor for a week of [low-carb meal planning](https://www.lowcarbdiet.solutions/low-carb-meal-planning/): one dish assembled in the afternoon covers dinner and at least one lunch. If you're building the whole week rather than one night, the [7-day low-carb meal plan](https://www.lowcarbdiet.solutions/7-day-low-carb-meal-plan-for-beginners/) is the place to slot it in.

## Leftovers

Cool them quickly and get them into a covered container in the fridge. [USDA guidance](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/leftovers-and-food-safety) puts cooked leftovers at 3 to 4 days refrigerated, and says to reheat them to 165°F. Microwave individual portions, or put the dish back in the oven until it's hot through.

It freezes too. The dairy sauce can look a little grainier after thawing, but it eats fine.

![Ania, founder of Low-Carb Diet Solutions](https://www.lowcarbdiet.solutions/ania-founder.jpg)

## Real food. Fewer complications.

I share practical low-carb meals and clear guidance for people who want more stability without turning food into another full-time job.

[Read my story →](https://www.lowcarbdiet.solutions/about-low-carb-diet-solutions/)

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