Cheesy Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake
with White Beans, Italian Herbs & Lemon
Here’s a vegetarian dinner idea for the ages! It’s filling, homey, and a real crowd-pleaser thanks to the one-two punch of velvety cream sauce and melty cheese topping. You’ll toss tender penne pasta, creamy cannellini beans, and garlicky spinach in a lemon-cream sauce, then top it all with a blend of Italian cheeses and bake until browned and bubbling. After a sprinkle of lemon zest, it’s off to the table for family-style serving in just 20 minutes—easy cheesy lemon squeezy!
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
Ingredients
1 unit
Cannellini Beans
1 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Lemon
6 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains Wheat)
5 ounce
Spinach
1 ounce
Cheese Roux Concentrate
(Contains Milk)
1.5 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains Milk)
1 tablespoon
Italian Seasoning
½ cup
Italian Cheese Blend
(Contains Milk)
10 ounce
Chicken Cutlets
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
3 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Instructions
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Drain and rinse beans. Peel and mince or grate garlic. Zest and quarter lemon.
• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water (1½ cups for 4 servings), then drain.
While pasta cooks, pat chicken dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until browned and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. Turn off heat; transfer to a cutting board. Wipe out pan.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add beans and cook, stirring, until warmed through, 1-2 minutes. • Add spinach and another drizzle of oil; cook, stirring, until wilted, 2-4 minutes. • Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds more. Season with salt and pepper.
Use pan used for chicken here.
• Reduce heat under pan with beans and spinach to medium low; stir in cheese roux, sour cream, half the Italian Seasoning, ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water, 1 TBSP butter, and juice from two lemon wedges. (For 4 servings, use all the Italian Seasoning, ¾ cup pasta cooking water, 2 TBSP butter, and juice from four lemon wedges.) TIP: If pasta isn’t finished cooking, ladle pasta water straight from pot. • Cook, stirring occasionally, until bubbling, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Stir drained penne into pan with filling until thoroughly coated. TIP: If needed, stir in more pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce. • Transfer pasta to an 8-by-8-inch baking dish (use a 9-by-13-inch baking dish for 4 servings); top with Italian cheese blend. Bake on top rack until cheese is bubbling, 2-4 minutes.
Slice chicken crosswise; add to filling along with drained penne.
• Garnish pasta bake with lemon zest; squeeze juice from remaining lemon wedges over top. Serve family style directly from baking dish (be sure to dig in while it’s hot!).
Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
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