Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole
With plenty of tender chicken and broccoli, this cheese-topped dish is a real family-pleaser. In fact, my clan would eat it any day of the week.
Read MoreCreamy Lemon & Spinach Pasta Bake
Drescription
This creamy and comforting vegetarian pasta bake is perfect when you want a pasta dinner that is light, bright and flavorful. This easy pasta bake is packed with spinach. Feel free to swap the spinach out for another green like kale if you have it on hand. Just be sure to remove the tough stems and chop it into smaller pieces before cooking. Depending on your green, you may have to cook it a little bit longer so it's nice and tender before baking.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces whole-wheat penne or rotini
- 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper, plus more for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon salt, divided
- 2 ¼ cups half-and-half
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
- 10 cups packed fresh spinach (about 10 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon grated garlic
- 1 cup shredded fontina cheese, divided
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well in a colander. Wipe the pot clean.
- Meanwhile, whisk cream cheese, mustard, lemon zest, onion powder, pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in half-and-half.
- Heat oil in the pot over medium-high heat. Add scallions and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring constantly, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add spinach and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until the spinach is bright green and wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the pasta, the cream cheese mixture and 1/2 cup fontina; stir to combine. Gently stir in lemon juice. Transfer to the prepared baking dish; top with the remaining 1/2 cup fontina. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until warmed through and slightly bubbling around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish with additional pepper and lemon zest, if desired.
