I was up early this morning, cleaning the kitchen and doing some laundry before work. This very well may be a typical morning for many people, but not for this girl. I wake up at 5 am a few times a week when J gets up for work, I let the dogs out, feed them, and then most times we (me and the pups) go back to sleep for an hour or so before I have to get up and get ready for work. I’ve discovered, however, that I tend to have a much harder time waking up the second time and I feel very tired all day long. So…after a very busy weekend where very little time was spent at home, I decided that my time would be better spent getting some household chores done.
And then, of course, I had to get your Monday morning post done!
I’m really excited to share this one with you today for a couple of reasons. For one, I got to use the first of our squash crop in it. In fact, it is the whole reason I made the dish in the first place. Well, that and it sounded delicious. The other reason I’m excited to share this with you, is because the recipe came from my friend Kylee of Kylee Cooks. She’s my very favorite Kiwi and I only wish she lived a leetle bit closer because she cracks me up an I know we would have so much fun hanging out!! Kylee…getcha booty to Texas, would ya??
So now, onto the dish…I don’t know how much I really need to talk it up because if you look at the ingredients list there’s no way your mouth wouldn’t already be watering. Pasta…chicken…zucchini….yellow squash…apinach….and then…THREE kinds of cheese. Three cheese, y’all. I mean, all the ingredients are delicious, but that is some cheesy goodness right there.
AND I got to use my awesome-sauce casserole dish that my bestie bought me for Christmas a couple of years ago. Kick-ass, right?? 😉
Squash, Zucchini, Spinach & Chicken Pasta Bake
Source: Kylee Cooks
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta, uncooked (I used garlic & black pepper rigatoni)
- 2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
- 1 tsp oil
- 3 zucchini, cut into rounds or half-moons
- 3 yellow squash, cut into rounds, half-moons, or quarters
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp flour
- ½ tsp dried basil leaves
- ½ tsp oregano leaves
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
- 2 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 8 oz cream cheese cubed
- 4 big handfuls of baby spinach leaves
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Preparation
- Pre-heat oven to 375ºF and spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Cook pasta in large pot as directed on package.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add zucchini, squash and garlic, cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender (not mushy.)
- Add the flour, basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
- Stir in the broth and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring until thickened. Add the cream cheese, cook and stir 2 or 3 minutes, or until melted.
- Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add the chicken, zucchini mixture, spinach, Parmesan and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Stir carefully to mix – I had to keep my spinach from jumping out of the pot 😉
- Scoop the mixture into the prepared casserole dish and top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted, and beginning to brown on top
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes to allow the cheeses to set some. Serve warm with a nice salad on the side – if you can handle any more veggies, that is!
I am drooling, this looks like the perfect way to use up lots of summer veggies!
Love this!! (Well, of course I would).
How did J like it?
He loved it, too!