Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

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Hundreds of people can't be wrong. Check out this creamy, cheesy, hearty casserole that sports a solid 5 stars for deliciousness as well as smarts.

time

prep:

20 min

total:

43 min

servings

total:

4 servings, 2 cups each

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What You Need

1-1/2

cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked

pkg. (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves

lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

tsp. dried basil leaves

can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained

jar (14 oz.) spaghetti sauce

oz. (1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, cubed

cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided

Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Make It

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

COOK pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt and adding spinach to the boiling water for the last minute.

MEANWHILE, cook and stir chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 3 min. Stir in tomatoes and spaghetti sauce; bring to boil. Simmer on low heat 3 min. or until chicken is done, stirring occasonally. Stir in Neufchatel.

DRAIN pasta mixture; return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella; pour into 2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray.

BAKE 20 min. or until heated through; top with remaining cheeses. Bake 3 min. or until mozzarella is melted.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Note

If watching sodium, prepare using no-salt-added diced tomatoes and lower-sodium spaghetti sauce.

Substitute

Substitute an 8-inch square baking dish for the 2-qt. casserole.

Serving Suggestion

Serve with CRYSTAL LIGHT Iced Tea.

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kteacherhall

posted:11/22/2009

My family enjoyed the Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bakee for dinner this evening; especially because I substituted broccoli, diced red peppers, and garlic for the spinach (as they are not fans of cooked spinach). It was tasty, but not one of my favorite recipes.

arichelliott

posted:11/22/2009

This recipe is wonderful! It has become a family favorite. My daughter can be very selective on what she eats, so I usually leave out the spinch leaves. It also reheats well.

a cook

posted:11/22/2009

I thought this was very good...I used the entire box of penne, a full jar of spaghetti sauce, omitted the spinach, used only one can of petite diced tomatoes(did not drain) and 4 oz of fat-free cream cheese and then took the advice from other reviews and added red pepper flake, onion and garlic powder and added a zucchini/squash blend (frozen) and perfect there were no leftovers from the 9 X 13 pan!

whittba2000

posted:11/21/2009

I made this receipe. I did not have spinach leaves at home so I proceeded without it. I believe the leaves would add nice color. I added a tsp of crushed red pepper and some sauteed mushrooms. It was very good and my bf loves it. Served with garlic bread.

gail3162

posted:11/21/2009

My husband and I were looking for something new for dinner and he chose this recipe. I did a few things differently. We wash our meats and poultry with lime or lemon juice to get rid of the freshness. I seasoned my chicken the way I always do and I added extra spinach, We love vegetables. The dish was so tasty, we had itfor breakfast and lunch the next day as well.It was delicious and as a matter of fact, I think I am making it for dinner again tonight.

a cook

posted:11/20/2009

This was great...my 6-year-old who told me that she wasn't going to eat it ended up eating everything on her plate!!! Very easy and good way to get vegetables with the spinach, tomatoes and sauce. I used regular cream cheese, and also added some spicy italian sausage. It was enough to bake in a 9x13 dish rather than the 8x8 that it calls for in the recipe.

DTRICKET

posted:11/20/2009

This was deeeelicious! I did add some Italian seasoning and a bit more cheese than it asked for. I also substituted cream cheese for the nufchatel. I will definately be making this again!

Pywackete

posted:11/19/2009

I made the Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake last night and it was a big hit. It is so easy to make and really delicious. A tossed salad and a piece of garlic bread is it takes to complete the meal. I will definitely be making this again.

a cook

posted:11/19/2009

This recipe is really good and the whole family ate the spinach, all except our 8 year old son. I did not put as much spinach in, it seemed good with half a package. Good flavor and easy to make. I like that you put it in the oven and don't have to babysit it. It went great with a side salad (used the extra spinach in the salad).

a cook

posted:11/19/2009

This recipe is pretty good, but it definitely does not need so much cheese and you can cut out the spinach. The spinach doesn't fit anywhere into it and makes it look and taste weird.