Healthy three cheese penne pasta bake

By dhoffmanlatter

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked
• 1 pkg. (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1 jar (14-1/2 oz.) spaghetti sauce
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 oz. (1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) Neufchatel cheese, cubed (you can substitute cream cheese)
• 1 cup shredded 2% milk mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Step 1

Heat oven to 375ºF.
Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt and adding spinach to the boiling water the last minute.
Cook and stir chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 3 min. Stir in spaghetti sauce, garlic, and tomatoes; bring to boil. Simmer on low heat 3 min. or until chicken is done. Stir in Neufchatel.
Drain pasta mixture; return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and ½ cup mozzarella. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole or 8-inch square baking dish.
Bake 20 min.; top with remaining cheeses. Bake 3 min. or until mozzarella is melted