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Chicken and Spinach Noodle Casserole
1tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
10 ounces package frozen chopped spinach, partially thawed
15 ounces container Ricotta cheese, part skim
3 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper to taste
6 ounces wide noodles, not egg noodles

• In a small saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon of the butter. 
• Add the onion and garlic, cover and cook over low heat until the onion is tender, about 8 minutes. 
• Add the spinach, increase heat to medium, cover and cook until the spinach has completely thawed. 
• Uncover the spinach and stir it over slightly higher heat until all the excess liquid has evaporated. Let it cool slightly.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together the spinach mixture, Ricotta and Parmesan. Season with nutmeg and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling water. Do not salt water. Do not add oil to water. Season with onion powder and stir in keep from sticking. 
• Drain and immediately stir into the cheese and spinach mixture.
• Butter a deep 1 to 1 1/2 quart baking dish with 1 teaspoon of butter and pack in the mixture. 
• Dot the top with the remaining 1 teaspoon of butter and bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until the top is brown and crusty. Let the casserole stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Modifications:

-I decided at the last minute to add some chicken to this dish so I cut up 2 chicken breasts.
-I used 2 garlic cloves.
-I added a handful of fresh, chopped parsley.
-I used about 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Put a pot of water on to boil for the noodles.
• Chop up an onion and 2 garlic cloves.

• Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan.
• Chop up the chicken breasts and brown in the melted butter.
• Add the onion and garlic cloves and let it all cook for about 7-8 minutes.

• Add 3 big handfuls of semi-defrosted chopped spinach.
• Cover it and let it cook for another 6-7 minutes to totally defrost. I then uncovered it and cooked for a couple of more minutes.

• Put a container of ricotta cheese and about 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese in a bowl. 
• Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook until al dente.  I used about 1/2 of a bag of egg noodles. 
• Uncover the chicken mixture and throw in some fresh chopped parsley.
• Put the chicken mixture into the same bowl as the cheeses.
• Drain the noodles and add them in with the chicken and cheese.
• Spray a 9×9 baking dish (anything this size will work) and put the entire mixture in the dish.
• Cut up some pads of butter and put them on top.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.