Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

There's something new going on in my kitchen these days - I have a sous chef and his name is Martin.

As it's a known fact that my hubby is somewhat selective on what he likes to eat, I've decided he should pick some dishes he'd like to eat - and then he should help cook them up. When I first requested that he go online and find a few main dishes of his choosing, he seemed a bit confused. Or obstinate. Whichever one it was, he didn't follow through on my request until I issued a second perhaps more direct command that he come up with some recipes. 

This is one of three that he picked.  Interestingly enough, it's not something I would've ever chosen to make. I'm not always big on pasta in general and something about the spinach might've knocked me off picking this particular pasta dish. As we continue on with this experiment, I'm realizing I may get a bit of an education myself. While I think I'm always cooking with Martin in mind, letting him choose recipes has already shown me that he has his own surprising ideas about what tastes good and what he'd like to see on his dinner plate. In addition to the bonding time spent over pots and pans, we may each find out some new things about each other  - and how great is that? 35 years into a marriage and still on a path of discovery about who we are as individuals. Who knew cooking could be so revealing? 

Like the true overprotective and controlling mom I can be, I did a lot of the prepping before my not-so-young apprentice joined me in the kitchen. By the time he showed up, all the ingredients were measured and waiting for him to turn into our dinner. Maybe I'll leave more for him to do next time. As it was, my kitchen aide was heard exclaiming that parts of the cooking process were just as exciting as watching paint dry. Probably true, except if you fail to keep watch on the paint, it won't boil over and burn. 

Next time HE makes this dish,  I'll suggest a little more seasoning and cutting the chicken pieces a bit smaller. Otherwise, it was a fun first night of cooking together.

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta bake

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked
1 pkg. (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
1-3/4 cups CLASSICO FAMILY FAVORITES Traditional Pasta Sauce
2 oz. (1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, cubed (If you can't find Neufchatel cheese, I was told that 1/3 less fat Philadelphia cream cheese is the same thing)
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 375ºF.
Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt and adding spinach to the boiling water for the last minute.
Meanwhile, cook and stir chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 3 min. Stir in tomatoes and pasta sauce; bring to boil. Simmer on medium-low heat 3 min. or until chicken is done, stirring occasionally. Add Neufchatel; cook and stir 1 to 2 min. or until completely melted.
Drain pasta mixture; return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella; spoon into 2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake 20 min. or until heated through; top with remaining cheeses. Bake 3 min. or until mozzarella is melted.