Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake
Inspired by this recipe on Kraftfoods.com
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups penne pasta, uncooked
- 1 package (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 red pepper, chopped
- 1/2 package (10 oz.) of fresh sliced mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce
- 4 oz. cream cheese, cubed
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cook pasta as directed on package. One minute before the pasta is done, add the spinach to the boiling water.
- While pasta is cooking, saute the chicken in 1 tbsp. olive oil a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Remove and place in a bowl.
- Add the onions, red pepper and mushrooms to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the chicken back in the pan with the vegetables. Stir in spaghetti sauce and cream cheese. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 3 minutes or until the cream cheese has melted.
- Drain the pasta mixture and return to pan. Add the chicken mixture and stir until combined.
- Spoon into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
- Bake 20 minutes.
Notes & Suggestions:
In order to same some time, you can use leftover Perfect Roasted Chicken or pick up a cooked rotisserie chicken from your grocery store. Just pick the chicken off the bones and use 2 - 2 1/2 cups of the shredded chicken in place of the chicken breasts. I do this with a lot of casserole dishes to make it faster and easier. Make sure you season whatever chicken you use. Otherwise, it will be bland.
For a healthier version, you can use whole grain or whole wheat pasta, Neufchatel cheese (low-fat cream cheese), and 2% mozzarella cheese.
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