Alex has been dying for me to cook for him, so while I was in Arkansas…I thought I would do just that. I found this recipe on the Kraft Foods website and with chicken, pasta, spaghetti sauce, and cheese I didn’t see how you could go wrong! The original recipe was semi-healthy and with my changes, it definitely took that aspect away, but it was so good! I’m sure it is delicious without the additions as well…we were just about to go out of town for the weekend and didn’t want a lot of leftover ingredients :)
I hope you enjoy as much as we did! :)
*Note: As always, my additions/substitutions are in bold italics
From: kraftfoods.com (It has a video if you need extra help, but honestly, if I can handle it, I’m sure you can too! ;))
What You Need
1-1/2 cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked (I used regular penne and I used the entire box)
1 pkg. (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves (I coarsely chopped it to make it easier to eat – this could be easily left out without compromising the dish)
1 lb. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (I used 2 pounds)
1 tsp. Dried basil leaves
1 jar (14-1/2 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained (I didn’t drain them)
2 oz. (1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, cubed (I used 4 oz.)
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided (I used the whole package)
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese (just tasted it and added as I saw fit)
Make It
HEAT oven to 375ºF.
COOK pasta as directed on package, adding spinach to the boiling water the last minute.
COOK and stir chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 3 min. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomatoes; 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. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole or 8-inch square baking dish (Because I upped the ingredients, I used a 9 x 13 baking dish)
BAKE 20 min.; top with remaining cheeses. Bake 3 min. or until mozzarella is melted.
Like I said, it definitely wasn’t healthy, but it was definitely yummy! It made a lot (with my alterations of course) and it was just as yummy as leftovers :)
As always, if you try it, let me know how it works for you!
