Main dishes

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

video 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. 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

Serving Suggestion

Serve with CRYSTAL LIGHT Iced Tea.

Substitute

If watching sodium, prepare using no-salt-added diced tomatoes and 1-1/2 cups of your favorite lower-sodium spaghetti sauce.

Substitute

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

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dbarnett77

posted:1/17/2012

Wow! I didn't expect this to be near as good as it was. I made exactly as the recipe is written and it was SO good! Even my husband who only likes green beans and corns for his veggies ate the spinach in it! (Both kids liked too)

Subbzero24

posted:1/16/2012

This recipe is awesome! I didn't have spinach so we put zucchini and broccoli in its place. Wow, it turned out spectacular!! Will definitely be adding this to our regular meals!

Christine183

posted:1/16/2012

Excellent the only thing I changed was the amount of mozzarela cheese, I doubled the amount because I really love cheese. This was one of the best recipes I've tried.

a cook

posted:1/10/2012

My husband is usually the one that makes this recipe. That means it's pretty easy! And it has healthy stuff in it, but he still likes it. I think we're both amazed every time we make it - we forget how good it really is! And it's one of those recipes that's even BETTER the next day.

JLGS25

posted:1/1/2012

This was very good. I did put broccoli in instead of the spinach though since I was serving another dish with spinach. It turned out great, great flavor!

kback4505

posted:12/13/2011

Just tried this tonight for the first time. Didn't have fat free cream cheese so subbed in about a quarter cup of fat free cottage cheese. Delicious=) Husband loved it too.

fairprincess1980

posted:12/8/2011

Delicious! Very quick and easy. My whole family loved it!

nbutee

posted:11/7/2011

I made this recipe tonight for my sister and her husband. It was quick and easy for me to make as soon as I got home from work. Everyone loved it!

Mary766

posted:9/24/2011

Very tasty and easy to make. While it's not the best recipe I have, it rates in the top 10. Since I don't like spinach, I left it out and used regular penne, but I will probably make it for my support group considering how easy it is. Just add a salad and you have a good meal.

a cook

posted:9/18/2011

all family loved it! that's a keeper!