Chicken Penne Bake
May 25, 2010 | Print | E-mail | Filed under chicken, pasta
This is one of my favorite go-to weeknight meals (and actually, what we’re having for dinner tonight) because it’s so easy to throw together. You only need a few ingredients, most of which you probably already have on hand…and, since we never finish off a whole pan ourselves, we always have plenty of leftovers. It’s also a great dish to serve to company, or to bring to a potluck! Give it a try sometime this week.
- 1 (16 oz) box regular or whole wheat penne pasta
- 2 chicken breasts
- 6 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 (24 oz) jar tomato sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a small baking dish, and bake the chicken 25-30 minutes or until it is no longer pink in the center. Cut into bite-sized pieces, and then shred using a fork.
At the same time, cook the pasta according to package directions.
When finished cooking the pasta, add the spinach into the hot water with the pasta and stir just until the spinach wilts. Pour the pasta and spinach into a colander to strain.
Pour the sauce into a large pot, and add the spices. Simmer over low-medium heat. Add in the shredded chicken and stir until well-combined.
In a large bowl, combine the chicken and pasta mixtures with half the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
Pour into a greased 9×13″ baking dish, and sprinkle with the other halves of the cheeses.
Bake 20 minutes or until heated through.
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May 25th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
So easy, and it looks DELICIOUS!!!!
May 25th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Love how easy it is! Might be the inspiration for me dinner tonight.
May 25th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Wow! What a great dish. Not only does it look delicious, it looks easy and I love that you snuck in a little healthy with the spinach and it is a complete meal in one pan..love it! I will definitely try it. Thanks!
May 25th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Oh that looks lovely!! Very nice darlin’ and I am picky about my Italian food
May 25th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
What a perfect looking dinner
YUM!
May 25th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
This looks really great and so easy! You just can’t go wrong with a cheesy pasta dish.
May 25th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Mmmm. Looks so yummy.
May 25th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Yum! I love your savory recipes too!
May 25th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
This looks great ~ a perfect family meal! I will be making this for sure!
May 25th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
This is my kind of dish…something easy and good
May 25th, 2010 at 11:41 pm
That looks wonderful! We make similar dishes — I love how easy, tasty and filling they are
May 26th, 2010 at 12:11 am
So yummy & cheesy & easy! i love penne pasta! i’m hungry now..esp. when it’s nearing lunch time..:(..
May 26th, 2010 at 9:18 am
We eat a lot of chicken and pasta, so this will definitely be a winner in our house. Printing this recipe now!
May 26th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
What I wouldn’t give for a big plate of this right now! Looks so good.
May 26th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Oh yum! I can see why this would be one of your “favorites” in your family….I love how spinach is also in this dish!
May 26th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
This dish is making me so hungry! I would love to have this for dinner tonight!
May 26th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Great pics! I can’t wait to make this for dinner!
May 27th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
OK…now I’m starving! This looks terrific! I know my boys would love it, too!
May 28th, 2010 at 2:02 am
This is my kind of busy weeknight meal. What a great comfort dish!
May 28th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
This looks great… We’ve been getting a lot of spinach from our CSA this season, so I am happy to have another recipe idea that uses spinach. Thanks
May 29th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
A wonderful casserole! So flavorful and comforting!
Cheers,
Rosa
June 16th, 2010 at 11:12 am
Now this is my kind of pasta dish. It looks heavenly and I kinda wanna swim in it.
July 13th, 2010 at 9:30 pm
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful dish.. I know what I will be doing for dinner tonight. Thanks!!
September 12th, 2011 at 4:43 am
Thanks for this easy and tasty I really like cheesy pasta with chicken, and my son too
February 15th, 2012 at 2:39 pm
Question-Is sauce,just plain tomato sauce or are you talking spaghettii sauce?Thanks
February 16th, 2012 at 5:15 pm
Diane – I usually use a chunky tomato-basil spaghetti sauce, but you can use whatever you like best!