Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken
- 1 cup pesto, divided
- 14.5 ounces penne pasta
- 48 ounces pasta sauce
- 8 ounces part skim ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces cottage cheese
- 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
Instructions
- Season and grill the chicken or you can use rotisserie chicken too. Cube the cooked chicken and toss in 1/2 cup pesto. Set aside. Cook the pasta to al dente.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, mix the pasta sauce and 1/2 cup pesto together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together ricotta, cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, spinach, parmesan, and eggs. Then add the cooked pasta to the cheese mixture and gently stir to combine.
- In a 9x13 (or two 8x8 pans), layer sauce, pasta mixture, chicken, sauce, pasta mixture, chicken, sauce. Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes uncovered, top with remaining mozzarella and bake for 5 minutes more.
Preparing For the Freezer:
- Layer as instructed, then top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Wrap with 2 layers of plastic wrap, then cover with foil, label and freeze.
Prepare after Freezing:
- Thaw for about 24 hours in refrigerator, unwrap and bake as usual. Or keep frozen, unwrap, then re-cover with one layer of foil. Bake covered for about 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Increase oven temperature to 350. Remove foil and bake for about 40 more minutes, until cheese is melted and filling is bubbling and warmed through.