Pesto-Chicken Penne Casserole (Easy)

My first bite made me think of lasagna but instead of beef in lasagna, chicken. I could call this meal chicken lasagna easily. I have to warn you, it is fattening, have a single serving which is about 1 1/3 cups worth, have a green salad on the side and if you like perhaps some crusty bread. It was very easy to prepare and this meal makes two casseroles, heat one up for dinner and freeze the other for a later date when you are in a crunch for time but still want a home cooked dinner. Another suggestion is preparing this on the weekend and freezing both casseroles ahead of time, kind of like saving for a rainy day. What is also nice about this is you can make one for your family and one for someone else, like say, a new baby, an upcoming surgery, just getting back from vacation and not having any food in the house to eat but then you remember, 'I have my casserole in the freezer'. If you don't want to go through the trouble of  preparing the chunk chicken, you can try using canned chicken breast chunks sold on the aisle with the canned tuna. I, myself, prefer boneless, skinless chicken breast, boiled and then cut up but again, I am suggesting this when you are in a time crunch.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Pesto-Chicken-Penne-Casseroles

Ingredients

• 1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta
• 6 cups cubed cooked chicken (I use boneless, skinless chicken breast and boil it then cut it up into cubes and I use 4 chicken breasts)
• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Italian cheese blend
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1 jar (15 ounces) Alfredo sauce
• 1-1/2 cups 2% milk
• 1 jar (8.1 ounces) prepared pesto
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a very large bowl, combine the chicken, cheese blend, spinach, tomatoes, Alfredo sauce, milk and pesto. Drain pasta and add to chicken mixture; toss to coat.
• Transfer to two greased 8-in. square baking dishes. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and oil; sprinkle over casseroles.
• Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly.
• To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings, 1 1/3 cups each).

All finished baking, ooey and gooey with cheeses.

My dinner!