chicken & spinach pasta bake: a pinterest recipe

i'm embarrassed to admit it, but josh and i have been eating terribly for the past 2.5 months. and by terrible, i mean one night we just had canned vegetables because we were too tired/lazy to go to the store. it usually is not that bad, but we have done a lot of ordering pizza or eating just whatever we can find in the panty (which isn't much).

i wish i could blame it on having a new baby, but i think we just got into some bad habits. i love to cook, but it always seems that i have been nursing henry or giving him a bath or doing something when i would/should be cooking dinner.

so here's a little new years resolution. have an actual, sit-down, home made meal most nights. i think it will give josh and i some time together and help knock off those stubborn 10 pounds of pregnancy weight.

last night, i got my butt into the kitchen and tried a new recipe, found on pinterest of course. this chicken & spinach pasta bake by heather over at my life well loved, has been pinned like a million times on pinterest and for good reason- it's delicious!

I made a few tweaks, so heres my take on it:

Ingredients

• 8 oz uncooked rigatoni pasta
• 1 T evoo
• 1/2 medium white onion- chopped
• 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed & drained
• 1 (smallish) package of skinless boneless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
• chicken broth
• 1 (14 oz) can of italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (8 oz) container of Philadelphia chive and onion cream cheese
• salt & pepper to your taste
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• grated parmesan cheese, to taste 

Directions

1. place chicken breasts in a saucepan and cover with chicken broth. bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer until chicken is thoroughly cooked. cook time will depend on how thick the breasts are. to check, cut into the thickest part of the breast and make sure there is no pink
2. remove breasts from saucepan and set aside. DO NOT DISCARD broth. add your pasta and bring to a boil.
3. while pasta is cooking, shred chicken and set aside.
4. spread evoo at the bottom of a 11x7 baking dish and add chopped onions. bake at 375 degrees for about 10-15 minutes (until onions brown)
5. in the meantime, combine remaining ingredients: spinach, tomatoes, cream cheeses, s&p, & 1.5 cups of mozzarella cheese into a large mixing bowl. Add cooked pasta, chicken, and onions.
6. mix well and spoon mixture back into baking dish
7. cover with remaining mozzarella cheese and parmesan
8. bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until cheese is slightly browned and bubbly- everything is cooked, so you are just heating it up.
9. serve & enjoy

it was delish! next time i will try to get a pic before josh digs in (and yes, that was after he took a hearty portion for himself).  this recipe will probably serve a family of 4-6, depending how many big eaters you have.

stay tuned for more easy recipes and reviews of some pinterest favorites! ps. please excuse my 'directions,' they make sense in my head ;)


love, sarah