Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake recipe

photo by:kraft

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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a cook

posted:2/27/2010

in my opinion, another way to make a lasagna......not something i would make again.

StacyB04

posted:2/25/2010

Very good, made exactly as the recipe stated. I will definitely make it again!

nashvillesugapie

posted:2/24/2010

This was sooo yummy, and it was great as leftovers too once all the flavors really mixed together. :-)

farrahleann

posted:2/20/2010

Great!! My whole family loved it. Even my 2 year-old and he don't like anything.

a cook

posted:2/19/2010

Delicious! Better with garlic salt sprinkled on top!

evelyn10354

posted:2/18/2010

Absolutely delicios!! I followed directions but didn't have dried basil so I used dried oregano instead. I also added 2 fresh basil leaves chopped. For the sphagetti sauce I used Light Ragu Tomato & Basil (10 oz.) and added 4 oz of tomatoe sauce (no salt added). Oh yeah one more thing I didn't drain the diced tomatoe. It came out sooooo good! Kids told me that this was a keeper.

fortneyc

posted:2/16/2010

I have made this recipe several times and have always gotten rave reviews. I have even doubled the recipe and frozen half to take later to friends who need a meal and it is just as good as eating it right after it's made. It is a great dish!

krittlecaldwell

posted:2/13/2010

My husband loved it. I changed it a bit. Didn't add chicken, or spinach and used cream cheese. Turned out GREAT!!! I can't wait to make it again. This is going to be a great dish to take to my friends that just had a baby!

a cook

posted:2/12/2010

Sooo good and so easy to make!!! A big hit at home and with my co-workers.

melo84