Chicken-Penne Florentine Bake

photo by:kraft

What’s not to love? Chicken, spinach and two kinds of cheese are baked with multi-grain pasta for a totally satisfying—and better-for-you—take on an Italian favorite.

time

prep:

25 min

total:

43 min

servings

total:

6 servings, 1 cup each

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What You Need

cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked

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

Tbsp. flour

Tbsp. KRAFT Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing

cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

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

pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Make It

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

COOK pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.

MEANWHILE, toss chicken with flour. Heat dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 3 min. or until evenly browned. Add broth and Neufchatel; cook 3 min. or until Neufchatel is melted, stirring frequently. Stir in spinach.

DRAIN pasta. Add to chicken mixture; mix lightly. Spoon half into 2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; top with 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat layers; sprinkle with Parmesan.

BAKE 16 to 18 min. or until mozzarella is melted and casserole is heated through.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Make Ahead

Pasta can be cooked ahead of time. Cook as directed on package, just until al dente. Rinse pasta, drain well and place in a freezer-weight resealable plastic bag. Freeze up to 2 months. When ready to use, thaw pasta by running hot tap water over pasta; drain. Then, use as directed.

Keeping it Safe

Cutting raw boneless chicken breasts into pieces is a slippery task. Make it safer and prevent the knife from slipping by cutting the chicken while it is partially frozen.

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LindsayDeshong

posted:8/20/2011

This is definitely a yummy dinner. I used fresh spinach and cooked it down with some garlic first. I also used about 1/4cup of dressing instead of the 2tb to give it more flavor and threw in some fresh cherry tomatoes (halved) to give it some color and it was delicious!!

jennsemelka

posted:8/17/2011

Pretty bland and dry if made 'as-is' - I substituted red pepper italian dressing for the sun dried tomato listed and also made extra sauce (1 pkg cream cheese melted in frying pan with 1/2 bottle of red pepper italian dressing) which moistened it and spiced it up enough that my husband would eat it.

misslivie9

posted:7/12/2011

the only thing I would change would be to leave out the chicken. it really didn't have a good flavor and didn't add that much to the dish. I used fusilli pasta instead of penne and it really soaked up the sauce with the spinach. sooo good :)

sburns76

posted:5/4/2011

This was absolutely amazing! My 13 year old son came up to me and said "Thanks for the great dinner mom!" and he doesn't eat spinach, but he loved this dish. Definately making again...may even add some mushrooms to it.

lawyerlaura

posted:3/19/2011

Very easy recipe. I doubled the cream cheese to make it extra creamy - which may have made the dish not so healthy - but tasty!

Shastar02

posted:3/19/2011

I made the vegetarian version: no chicken and I substituted chicken broth with vegetable broth.

stacyfrost

posted:3/16/2011

it was quick and easy to make, but a little bland. Nobody wanted to eat the leftovers the next day.

yiappou

posted:2/9/2011

Too dry and blAnd,I will not make it again

djames03

posted:1/30/2011

This recipe is a winner! Both my sons wanted seconds and wanted to know when I'd be making it again. It is so easy to make, healthy and takes no time at all. The only difference was I added more dressing and added a little onion powder. :)

JolynnTXVT

posted:1/29/2011

Not bad for a quick all in one dinner. My husband and daughter (extremely picky eater) enjoy this meal and usually ask for seconds. It is bland, so not for someone looking for something with good flavor.