Healthy Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake is only 460 calories per serving which is 1/4 of this dish! If you don’t think pasta dishes can be healthy, this pasta bake recipe will prove you wrong.

Healthy Three Cheese Penne - only 460 calories per serving which is 1/4 of this dish! the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

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Healthy Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

I usually laugh inside when pasta dishes are advertised as “Healthy”. Sure it may be healthy, but since pasta is high in calories you can have about 10 noodles before you’re over your limit.

So I was surprised when this healthy pasta dish was 460 per serving which isn’t bad at all considering you get to eat 1/4 of the dish pictured below. That’s a lot!

I’ve made this a couple of times for my family and every time I do my husband asks suspiciously, “This is healthy?”

Healthy Three Cheese Penne - only 460 calories per serving which is 1/4 of this dish! the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

The best healthy dishes are the ones where you aren’t reminded how healthy it is every time you take a flavorless bite.Healthy Three Cheese Penne - only 460 calories per serving which is 1/4 of this dish! the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

I know it may seem like I’m all over the map when it comes to eating healthy. I try really hard most of the time…and crash and burn miserably the other half. I wonder how many times I can use the word healthy in this post.

Healthy Three Cheese Penne - only 460 calories per serving which is 1/4 of this dish! the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

OTHER  ITALIAN RECIPES:

Healthy Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

4.34 from 12 votes
This Healthy Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake is only 460 calories per serving which is 1/4 of this dish!
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked
  • 9 ounces fresh spinach leaves
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
  • 1 14-1/2 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes, drained
  • 2 oz Neufchatel cheese, cubed (you can substitute cream cheese))
  • 1 cup shredded 2% milk mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 375ºF.
  • Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt and adding spinach to the boiling water the last minute.
  • Cook and stir chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 3 min. Stir in spaghetti sauce, garlic, and tomatoes; bring to boil. Simmer on low heat 3 min. or until chicken is done. Stir in Neufchatel.
  • Drain pasta mixture; return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole or 8-inch square baking dish.
  • Bake 20 min.; top with remaining cheeses. Bake 3 min. or until mozzarella is melted.

Notes

Source: adapted from Kraft
Calories: 460kcal
Cuisine: Italian
Course: Main Course
Author: Christy Denney

 

Healthy Three Cheese Penne - only 460 calories per serving which is 1/4 of this dish! #healthy #cheese #pasta #dinner #recipe #bake
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Christy Denney
Christy is the voice behind The Girl Who Who Ate Everything! She is no stranger to making meals that kids and adults will love. She grew up in Mesa, Arizona as the youngest of ten kids. She can always be found in her kitchen with music playing and cooking with her kids. She published her first cookbook in 2014. She loves party food that gets the conversations going!
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