We don’t always cook with healthy noodles… but when we do, we’re sure to use lots of cheese to make ’em taste extra delicious. You could substitute regular penne, but I think the whole wheat actually goes really well with everything and holds up nicely.
Whole Wheat Penne, Chicken, Spinach, Mushroom, Ricotta Bake
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Whole Wheat Penne
- 1 Pound Chicken Thighs or Breasts
- 6 Ounce Package Baby Spinach
- 8 Ounce Package Sliced Mushrooms
- 8 Ounce Tub Ricotta
- 1/2 Cup Milk - Optional (Whole works great)
- 12 Ounce Bag Shredded Mozzarella
- 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1 Egg
- 1 Lemon
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the penne
- Meanwhile, dice the chicken, drizzle olive oil in a pan and saute the chicken over medium-high heat (you could add a couple cloves of minced garlic in as well)
- Add the mushrooms, continue cooking until they're soft
- Add the spinach
- Stir the egg into the ricotta
- Mix that in with the chicken mixture
- Stir in half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan cheese
- Pour in the milk and stir (this is just to loosen it up a bit so it's not too dense, not a necessary step)
- Pour into a 9x9 (for thicker casserole) or 9x13 (for thinner casserole)
- Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan
- Bake for 25 minutes
- Give a little squeeze of fresh lemon over top to brighten up the dish
