Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

I think I found a secret ingredient here... Philadelphia Cooking Creme. It really made this dish. This recipe made LOTS & I loved every bit of the leftovers!

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

Ingredients

2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 cup finely chopped white onion

1 clove minced garlic

4 cups baby spinach leaves

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 cups Philadelphia Cooking Creme - Italian Cheese & Herb

1 lb. bowtie pasta

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9X13 baking dish with non stick cooking spray.

2. Place oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add onion & cook, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic & cook, stirring for 1 minute. Stir in spinach leaves, cook, stirring until wilted about 2 minutes. Add chicken salt, pepper and cook until heated through, about three minutes. Add cooking creme, stirring to combine.

3, Cook pasta according to package directions, drain & run under cold water to stop cooking. Add pasta to chicken mixture stirring to combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish and top with cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until cheese is melted. Makes 8 servings.

Spinach & Three-Cheese Calzones

It's been a long time! I wanted to make sure I had this recipe saved because I liked it! It served as a quick dinner & great leftovers for lunch. Anything to get the boys around here to eat spinach!

Spinach and Three-Cheese Calzones

Source: Parenting Magazine

Preheat oven to 425, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Thaw a 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach and squeeze out as much water as possible.

In a medium bowl, mix the spinach with 1 cup part-skim ricotta, 1 cup shredded fontina, 1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, and pepper to taste.

Slice a 13.8 8oz tube refrigerated pizza dough into 6 equal pieces. Shape into balls, and stretch or roll out on a lightly floured surface to roughly 5-inch circles. Arrange 3 circles on each baking sheet.

Divide the spinach mixtures into 6 equal portions, and spread on one side of each circle, leaving a 1/2 inch border, then fold the dough over the filling. Pinch and crimp the edges to seal. Cut a 1 inch vent in each, and bake until golden, about 14 minutes.

Serve with marinara for dipping.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

This is a classic favorite.  Especially for strawberry time!  I also use the dressing with other salads.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Source:  Unknown

Ingredients

2 TBSP sesame seeds

1 TBSP poppy seeds

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. worcestershire sauce

1 TSBP minced onion

10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried & torn into bite sized pieces

1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced

1/4 cup almonds - slivered (I buy them pre-slivered)

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion.  Cover, and chill for one hour.

In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds.  Pour dressing over the salad, and toss.  Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Serves about 4.

Some things I've added - blue cheese, cucumber, red onion.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts

I found this recipe from Kelly Cooks... and Other Amazing Feats. Genius. I am always looking for a way to get my husband to eat more spinach. This does it in a very unique way - wraps it in bacon! This was really good and will definitely fit into our normal schedule. An easy weeknight meal that's also very tasty.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I had 3 in my package)

salt & pepper

4 oz. low fat cream cheese, softened

2 handfuls of fresh spinach, chopped

9 slices of bacon - 3 slices on each breast

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
• Cut a slice in the thickest part of the chicken breast, making a pocket in the breast to stuff
• Combine the softened cream cheese, chopped spinach, salt and pepper to taste, and stuff into the pocket in each chicken breast.
• Wrap each chicken breast tightly with the slices of bacon.
• Place the chicken breasts in a roaster pan with a drip tray (I used a nonstick cookie sheet and it worked fine).
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until bacon is crispy and chicken is firm to the touch.