Week nights are tough – you work all day – sometimes go to the gym after work or work later than you’d like, not getting home til’ 7 or 7:30 on some nights! And you’re tired, you’re STARVING. You want something fast. And by you, I mean ME!
If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it a zillion times – during the week, dinner needs to be easy, fast, and delicous, because if it’s not, chances are we’ll be eating it for breakfast or calling for pizza at about 9pm.
So I kind of took a combination of 2 recipes I saw on Skinny Taste and Martha Stewart and attempted to make some Monday night magic. And the best magic of all? Whatever’s left over, Dave takes to work for lunch! YES! Everyone wins!
Here’s my concoction (and new word!) – hope you like!
Spinachicken Bake
INGREDIENTS
1lb box of whole wheat ziti or rigatoni
1lb 98% fat free chicken tenders
Italian Seasoning to taste
1 bag of baby spinach, chopped
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup of Fat Free Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup shreded parmesean cheese, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling
1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling
Salt and pepper to taste
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2) Season chicken tenders with salt, pepper, and italian seasoning. Cook in a pan over medium heat until cooked through and then slice into small pieces.
3) Cook pasta accoding to directions on box in salted water til’ al dente. Drain and return to pot.
4) Heat olive oil in a sauce pan and saute garlic and onions til cooked through.
5) Add chopped spinach and cook until tender – about 5 minutes.
All of this…
shrinks down to this!
6) Add garlic, onions, cooked chopped spinach, 1 cup of ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella cheeese, and 1/4 cup of parmesean cheese to the cooked pasta. Mix together til’ cheese begins to melt.
7) Place ziti in a greased 9×13″ baking dish and sprinkle the top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesean cheese.
8) Cook at 375 degrees for 30 minutes until cheese gets brown and bubbly on the top. Serve and Enjoy!
I will say, I did like this very much – the flavor was great, but Dave and I both agreed it needed a little something, so next time, I would more than likely add a can of crushed tomatoes to give it a little sauciness. But other than that, a keeper for sure! And easy on the hips 🙂
