Healthier Chicken and Pasta Bake
This cheesy chicken and pasta bake with veggies is a cozy, delicious casserole that’s lightened up and easy to prep in advance.
Yield: 8 -10 servings
Ingredients
- 12 oz. penne pasta (or sub rigatoni; whole wheat or regular pasta is fine to use)
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 small red bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 8 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 oz. fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped (about 4 cups)
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups cooked, chopped chicken (such as rotisserie chicken)
- 16 oz low fat cottage cheese
- ½ cup low fat milk
- 1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and add to a very large bowl.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and mushrooms and sauté for 5-7 minutes, until tender. Add the garlic and sauté an additional minute, until fragrant.
- Add the spinach, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and sauté for 2-3 more minutes, stirring regularly, until the spinach is wilted. Turn off the heat.
- In a food processor, add the cottage cheese and blend until smooth then transfer to a medium bowl. (You can also use a hand blender if you have one and blend the cottage cheese right in the bowl. You can also technically skip this step, but the final dish will have the cottage cheese curds in it instead of having a smoother sauce.)
- To the cottage cheese, add the milk, condensed soup, shredded cheddar cheese and ¼ cup of the grated Parmesan cheese. Mix well.
- In the very large bowl, add the spinach veggie mixture to the cooked pasta. Add the cooked chicken and the cottage cheese mixture and stir very well to combine.
- Carefully add the mixture to the prepared baking dish. It will be very full and liquidy, that’s OK. Smooth the top so it’s in an even layer. Top with the mozzarella cheese and the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 425 for 22-25 minutes, until bubbly and browned on top. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving to allow the casserole to fully set up. Enjoy!
Notes
Chicken: The chicken for this recipe needs to be cooked, so please plan accordingly. You can use a rotisserie chicken from the store, leftover baked or shredded chicken or boil your chicken breasts before chopping them.
Cheddar: I like the flavor this adds, but you can swap in mozzarella in its place if you prefer.
Leftovers, once cooled, can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5-6 days. Reheat in the microwave until hot. Or freeze leftovers in a freezer safe ziplock bag or container for up to 4-5 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 448kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 803mg | Potassium: 582mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2486IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 324mg | Iron: 2mg
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