Italian Baked Chicken Conchiglioni

Pasta is great. Pasta baked with chicken and cheese is even better. Add some spinach and you have all four food groups accounted for and a tasty meal!

Ingredients

• 3 cups conchiglioni pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts, sliced into cubes
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (9 ounce) jar of marinara sauce
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
3. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
4. Drain pasta and place in a large mixing bowl.
5. Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat.
6. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
8. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta.
9. Add the tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, spinach, salt, and pepper.
10. Stir to combine.
11. Place the mixture in a buttered 9" x 13" baking dish.
12. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese.
13. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture.
14. Dot the top with small bits of butter.
15. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.