Spinach and Chicken Pasta Bake

I have been trying to lose some weight and eat better, so I have been cutting a lot of carbs and dairy. (down 7lbs in 2.5 weeks but the evil sickness helped a bit with that also) I will never eliminate either from my diet completely because that is insanity and I plan on eating as much cheese as humanly possible in the Netherlands, because you just have to! So as a treat I made myself this next recipe from Southern Living and ate a small serving and froze the rest in individual servings for when I get that carb craving.

8 ounces uncooked rigatoni pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 medium)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
3 cups cubed cooked chicken breasts
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (8 ounce) container chive & onion cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:


1 Prepare rigatoni acoording to package directions.
2 Meanwhile, spread oil on bottom of an 11x7" baking dish; add onion in a single layer. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or just until tender. Transfer onion to a large bowl and set aside. 3 Drain thawed spinach well, pressing between layers of paper towels.
4 Stir rigatoni, spinach, chicken and next 4 ingredients into onion in bowl. Spoon mixture into baking dish, and sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarela cheese.
5 Bake, covered, at 375 degrees for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until brown and bubbly.



I cut this recipe in half, definitely not husband approved with spinach and chicken involved.


Preheat your oven, get some water boiling, and lets get this carb and dairy party started! You need some pasta, onion, spinach, tomatoes, chicken, cream cheese, and mozzarella cheese.


Chop your onion.


Drop your pasta in the boiling water at this point. The recipe says to do this step in the oven but I did it on the stove top. Saute the onions until they are softened.


Drain your pasta and get everything in the bowl except the mozzarella.


Stir it up and try not to just eat it out of the bowl. Looks delicious already!


But everything gets better with more cheese! Add your mozzarella, cover it, and pop it in the oven.


After 30 minutes remove the cover and in about 10-15 minutes you have this glorious carb and cheese casserole. But hey, there is some spinach in there so that makes it healthy, right?


This is perfect for a chilly fall afternoon.

This week I made a new friend and was telling him about the fact that I had a food blog, which I think some people probably find weird. The reason I started it was to kick myself in gear to start cooking instead of just reading recipes all the time. But the reason I kept doing it is the awesome people I have come across while blogging. You never know how or when you might meet someone who will change your life!