Healthy Three Cheese Chicken Pasta Bake

Three cheese chicken penne pasta bake that will make you forget you are eating healthy.

Wait, there's more! Read the blog post about this recipe.

girlwhoateeverythingRecipe by girlwhoateeverything

Rated 4.5 Stars
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29

20 minutes

40 minutes

4 servings



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Nutrition Info

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    Ingredients

    • 1 1/2 cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked
    • 1 (9 ounce) package fresh spinach leaves
    • 1 pound uncooked chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
    • 1 Tablespoon fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • 1 (14.5 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
    • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
    • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
    • 2 ounces Neufchatel cheese, cubed
    • 1 cup shredded 2% milk mozzarella cheese
    • 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

    Directions

    1. 1Preheat oven to 375º degrees.
    2. 2Cook pasta as directed on package. Add spinach to the boiling water the last minute of cooking.
    3. 3Cook chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat for around 3 minutes. Stir in spaghetti sauce, garlic, and tomatoes; bring to boil. Simmer on low heat for 3 minutes or until chicken is done.
    4. 4Stir in Neufchatel cheese and mix until combined.
    5. 5Drain pasta and spinach and return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella and mix until combined. Spoon into a 2 quart baking dish.
    6. 6Bake 20 minutes in the oven. Top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.
    Add a Comment
    Rated 4.5 Stars
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    tina2230
    tina2230 said:

    This was great! Even my kids loved it!

    1/19/2012 3:50:42 PM
    Your_Pampered_Chef

    You can reduce the sodium making your own sauce or by purchasing one with low or no sodium. I kicked the flavor up a bit by adding 1 TBSP of our Parmesan Garlic Oil Dipping Seasoning and 1 TBSP of our Italian Seasoning Mix. Addictingly yummy!

    1/4/2012 8:35:13 AM
    Anonymous User
    Anonymous said:

    I ran the nutrition facts and put in 6 servings, as it does make a nice size dish, and paired with fruit or rolls it would definitely serve 6. Even if I had put in 4 servings it would not have come to what others were seeing as far as sodium. From what I can tell, it boils down to the 14 1/2 oz jars. If you put in 1 14.5 oz jar, it seems to take that as 114.5 oz. So anyway see below for the approximate sodium content. Thank you. (And thanks for an amazing recipe!!!!) Nutrition Facts Serving Size 219 g Amount Per Serving Calories 226Calories from Fat 62 % Daily Value* Total Fat 6.8g11% Saturated Fat 3.2g16% Trans Fat 0.0g Cholesterol 76mg25% Sodium 292mg12% Total Carbohydrates 13.5g5% Dietary Fiber 3.3g13% Sugars 3.0g Protein 28.3g Vitamin A 89% • Vitamin C 29% Calcium 9% • Iron 15% Nutrition Grade A-

    7/10/2011 7:27:12 PM
    RookieCook

    Delicious! I'm definitely making this one again.

    7/1/2011 5:28:44 PM
    ronsue
    ronsue said:

    I am a novice cook and tablespoon has been a lifesaver. I just moved into a house(as opposed to an apt.) with more kitchen space and I am lovin' lovin' lovin' trying all the new recipes. Thanks tablespoon

    6/20/2011 5:57:36 PM
    blondestarr9622

    This tasted absolutely delicious! Very easy to make and very great results. As a mediocre cook I am very pleased by how much my family loved it. Will definitely make this again.

    6/15/2011 8:23:46 PM
    Anonymous User
    Anonymous said:

    My husband would love it but given his high BP the sodium is unacceptable. It's over a day's worth for one serving. Sounds good beyond that though.

    6/2/2011 11:52:59 PM
    tamme
    tamme said:

    The family loved it, although I had to leave out the spinach so the husband would it.

    5/31/2011 4:58:59 PM
    Sony.a
    Sony.a said:

    This was such a great and easy dish to prepare, I agree with someone below it tastes like a restaurant style dish!

    5/26/2011 2:51:35 PM
    wendycrouch

    Thank's for all the awsome input everyone, It was the reason I decided to go ahead and try this wonderful dish. My husband and I don't eat red meat so you can only imagine how hard it get's to keep meals interesting and fresh, and this was by far excelent. Tablespoon does it again. Awsome!!

    4/21/2011 10:33:58 AM
    19691
    19691 said:

    This is so good i try cook that Recipe THX:)

    4/6/2011 2:01:34 AM
    girlwhoateeverything

    Neufchatel is a soft cheese that originated in France. It's really similar to cream cheese and is usually right next to it in the grocery store. It's slightly lower in calories than cream cheese. Cream cheese can be substituted but it will just have a few more calories.

    3/31/2011 11:12:48 AM
    jw2007
    jw2007 said:

    What is Neufchatel cheese? I've never heard of it around Southern Indiana.

    3/31/2011 10:52:18 AM
    mbalsom
    mbalsom said:

    This is a good recipe. Reminds me of something you'd get at Boston Pizza.

    3/29/2011 7:06:52 PM
    farmertan06

    This is awesome! My hubby is a picky eater and he loves! It's not "heavy" and that is great because that is what I like since I am eating healthier food.

    3/25/2011 5:54:10 PM
    suemurphy29

    this is a great recipe....its great for a big party..i double the recipe and make it in the aluminum throw away pans...I add extra chicken...i dont think theres enough in the original recipe!!

    3/8/2011 2:37:44 PM
    dln9106
    dln9106 said:

    Even my picky 3 yr old and 20 mo olds ate it! Of course singing Popeye the Sailor Man helped get the spinach down...

    1/15/2011 6:16:19 PM
    hugsx5
    hugsx5 said:

    why is the sodium content so high? None of the ingredients seem like they would cause this.

    1/12/2011 7:56:26 PM
    kaylbg
    kaylbg said:

    Wow - sounds delicious, but far too much sodium. Might give someone a stroke.

    1/5/2011 5:17:55 PM
    girlwhoateeverything

    yeah, the first nutritional information by anonymous number 1 wasn't divided by the 4 servings so annoynmous comment number 2 thanks for updated info.

    1/4/2011 8:34:36 PM
    Anonymous User
    Anonymous said:

    Wow...wonder how many Weight Watcher pointsplus this is? It's looks yummy though.

    1/4/2011 12:08:27 PM
    andyk82
    andyk82 said:

    What cream cheese ? how much cream cheese ??

    1/3/2011 9:38:40 PM
    Anonymous User
    Anonymous said:

    Here is the Nutrition Facts based on 4 servings as per what the recipe said Serving Size 401 g Amount Per Serving Calories 586Calories from Fat 125 % Daily Value* Total Fat 13.9g21% Saturated Fat 5.6g28% Cholesterol 114mg38% Sodium 8963mg373% Total Carbohydrates 73.2g24% Dietary Fiber 5.7g23% Sugars 3.5g Protein 44.1g Vitamin A 142% • Vitamin C 56% Calcium 31% • Iron 35% Nutrition Grade A * Based on a 2000 calorie diet

    1/3/2011 5:44:08 PM
    Anonymous User
    Anonymous said:

    I just checked this on the website that girlwhoateeverything said to use and here is the info: Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1603 g Amount Per Serving Calories 2,345 Calories from Fat 501 % Daily Value* Total Fat 55.7g 86% Saturated Fat 22.3g 111% Cholesterol 456mg 152% Sodium 35851mg 1494% Total Carbohydrates 292.6g 98% Dietary Fiber 23.0g 92% Sugars 13.8g Protein 176.6g Vitamin A 569% • Vitamin C 222% Calcium 123% • Iron 138% Nutrition Grade A * Based on a 2000 calorie diet

    1/3/2011 5:21:26 PM
    Anonymous User
    Anonymous said:

    I would like to see the calories, fat, protein & others listed

    1/3/2011 2:44:56 PM
    tmomma
    tmomma said:

    Can't wait to try this one!

    1/3/2011 1:09:53 PM
    girlwhoateeverything

    For all of the skeptics, yes it has three cheeses but a little of each. It has multi-grain pasta, spinach, and tomatoes. It really is healthy! If you want to test the healthiness of this dish use http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php? to type in the recipe and see how many calories it is. I use this site all the time.

    1/2/2011 4:31:46 PM
    Anonymous User
    Anonymous said:

    This sounds good

    1/2/2011 4:19:32 PM
    jesnjo
    jesnjo said:

    This sounds and looks heavenly

    1/2/2011 3:20:35 PM
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