Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

Inspired by a recipe found here.

April showers... make me want to curl up in sweats and make pasta bakes. True story. As we already know, I love pasta. I would eat it all day, everyday, with just intermittent sprinkles of coffee and sweets to balance my diet. In a perfect world, that would be not only acceptable, but would (paired with exercise, of course) make for an Olympic gold medalist. But alas, here we are in a world where a steady diet of coffee, pasta, and sweets make for a bigger waistline and nutrient-deprived body. SIGH... But. There are ways to ease the sting.

Brown rice pasta, spinach, and low-fat cheeses are healthful additions to this bake, yet do not compromise the coveted comfort level of baked pasta. With the addition of chicken breast, this once carb-heavy dish becomes a well-balanced meal. And it's delicious. Bryan loves it, I love it (was that a surprise?), and, most importantly, it passed the Natalie Test-- my two-year-old daughter eats it without hesitation. It's simple to make and reheats wonderfully. The recipe also lends itself to a lot of variation. I think next time I'll add onion and zucchini to the bake to up the veggie content as well as add another layer of flavor. Customize it to meet the preferences of your family and sneak some veggies into those kids!

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

by Simply Shlee

Keywords: bake entree chicken pasta cheese spinach Italian

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice penne pasta
• 9 oz. fresh spinach leaves
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 14 oz. spaghetti sauce
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 14-1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 oz. low-fat cream cheese, cubed
• 1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt and adding spinach to the boiling water the last minute.

Drizzle skillet with olive oil and cook chicken and basil on medium-high heat for about 3 mins.

Stir in spaghetti sauce, garlic, and tomatoes; bring to boil. Simmer on low heat 3 mins. or until chicken is done. Stir in cream cheese.

Drain pasta mixture; return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole dish.

Bake 20 mins. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake 5 mins. or until mozzarella is melted.

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