Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake

By Tarah716

Ingredients

• 3 cups penne pasta, uncooked
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1-pound), cut into cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 package (6-ounces) baby spinach
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from diethood.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375.
Grease a casserole dish with baking spray; set aside.
Cook pasta according to the directions on the box.
Drain pasta and return to pot; stir in cheese, butter, and 1/4 cup milk; add more milk if needed. Continue to stir until smooth and well combined.
Transfer cheesy pasta into previously prepared baking dish and set aside.
Pour 3 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet and cook over medium heat.
Add cubed chicken and cook until done; about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Set chicken aside.
In a saucepan, add olive oil and cook over medium-high heat.
Add spinach, minced garlic and season with salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes, or until spinach is wilted, stirring frequently.
Add cooked chicken to spinach and stir in tomato sauce; cook over medium-high heat until heated through.
Spoon chicken and spinach mixture over pasta.
Top with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until bubbly.
Remove from oven.
Let stand 5 minutes.
Serve.