Chicken-Parmesan Penne Bake

Hearty penne pasta tossed with marinara sauce, diced chicken breast, and melted Parmesan cheese, baked until bubbling.

• Prep: 10 min
• Cook: 25 min
• Total: 35 min
• Servings: 6
• Cuisine: Italian
• Difficulty: Easy

Dietary

• Egg-Free
• Nut-Free
• Soy-Free
• High-Protein
• Low-Fat
• Low-Sugar
• Low-Saturated-Fat
• Low-Calorie

Tags

• bake
• comfort food
• crowd-pleaser
• savory
• rich

Ingredients

• 1.5 pound chicken breast (boneless, skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 12 ounce penne pasta (uncooked)
• 1 jar canned marinara sauce
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 clove garlic (minced)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
• 0.75 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 package salad greens
• 0.25 cup Italian salad dressing

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook penne pasta for 8 minutes until slightly firm (it will finish cooking in the oven); drain.
2. While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning, then sauté with garlic for 5 minutes until lightly browned on all sides.
3. In a 9x13-inch baking dish, combine the drained penne, browned chicken, marinara sauce, and half of the grated Parmesan cheese, stirring until evenly coated.
4. Top with the remaining grated Parmesan cheese and bake uncovered for 15 minutes until sauce is bubbling and cheese is golden.
5. Toss the Italian garden salad mix with Italian salad dressing in a serving bowl and serve alongside warm portions of pasta bake.

Notes

Under-boiling the pasta slightly prevents it from becoming mushy during the oven bake.

Nutrition (per serving)

• Calories: 485
• Protein: 37 g
• Carbohydrates: 53 g
• Fat: 12.8 g
• Fiber: 4.5 g
• Sodium: 790 mg
• Saturated Fat: 3.8 g
• Sugar: 5.2 g
• Cholesterol: 78 mg