Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

This was such an easy and good dinner! My 15 month old son LOVED it and it was so nice because it had yummy veggies hidden in it! My husband also liked it, yet he said he would have LOVED it if I used "regular" pasta and not "whole grain" pasta. (Honestly, if he didn't see the empty box on the counter he would have NEVER known it was whole grain!!)

I changed some things around because I didn't have all of the iningredients. There was so much that I was able to freeze it for another week!

 

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

• 8 oz uncooked rigatoni (used whole grain penne pasta)
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 c chopped onion
• 1 (10 oz) pack frozen spinach, thawed
• 3 c cubed, cooked chicken breasts
• 1 (14 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (8 oz) container Philadelphia chive & onion cream cheese
• ½ t salt, ½ t pepper
• 1½ c shredded mozzarella cheese

Prepare rigatoni (or penne) according directions on box.  Spread oil on bottom of 11×7 in baking dish; add the chopped onion in a single layer. 

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or just until tender. (makes the house smell so good)

Transfer onion to large bowl & set aside. (when the directions say large, they really mean large!)

Drain chopped spinach well, pressing between paper towels.

Stir in rigatoni (penne), spinach, chicken, undrained diced tomatoes, Philadelphia cream cheese, salt & pepper into onion in bowl.  

Spoon mixture into dish & sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese. (which I attempted to do but it came out a little uneven... What can I say, This Mama Can't Cook)

Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes; uncover & bake 15 more minutes or until bubbly.

I tried this recipe and posted about it previously. This time I actually followed the instructions, used the right kind of diced tomatoes & the chive & onion cream cheese. It made all the difference in the world!