Bowtie Pasta with Spinach and Chicken
My daughter was having one of her play dates again and two of her friends were coming over and staying for dinner. My daughter loves having her friends over for dinner- “it is so much fun”, she always says. I usually remind her that I have to make something healthy and usually from scratch so it is quite a lot of work me me- but honestly, I enjoy it too. Especially because I get to try out different kid-friendly dishes and see their reactions.
For this particular dinner I needed to make something in advance since I was not going to be home. Our sitter would be giving them their meal. I had two chicken breast on the bone which I decided to roast with the skin on. I shredded the meat once it was nice and juicy after taking the skin off. I bought bowtie pasta to make things a little interesting. I bought baby spinach since I needed the meal to be made in one pot and it also had to be well balanced.
I cooked the pasta and mixed the shredded chicken and baby spinach in the sauce pan. I added some homemade tomato sauce to give the pasta additional yummy flavor. I transferred the pasta into an oven proof dish and mixed in and topped with some shredded mozzarella cheese.
It was simple and quick. Once I got home I was curious to know their reactions. I was told they were all skeptical at first since everything was mixed in together but once they tried it- they liked it. My daughter who is more used to eating such meals thought it was delicious.
Next time you have a dinner play date for your kids- try the bowtie pasta with spinach and chicken.
- ½ pound bowtie pasta, cooked al dente
- 1 cup cooked chicken breast- I baked a chicken breast on the bone in a 350 degrees oven for about 30 minutes. I then took the skin off and shredded the meat. Rotisserie chicken can be substituted.
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup homemade tomato sauce
- Salt
- 1 cup light shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Return the pasta in the pan you cooked it. Add the spinach, tomato sauce, chicken and salt. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes on a low heat till the spinach wilts. Taste for seasonings.
Pour the pasta into an ovenproof dish. Add ½ cup mozzarella cheese and mix well. Top the pasta with the remaining cheese and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or till the cheese is melted and bubbling on top.
