Chicken Florentine Penne Casserole

I have not made a chicken florentine in a LONG time. The last time I made it, I really loved it and swore I'd make it again. Well, I never did. It was just too much work. Lazy much? Totally. =\

Well, I'm totally craving the flavours again, so I made this concoction. I wasn't sure if there'd be enough milk to cook the pasta properly without drying out anything. OMG how happy was I when it came out perfectly. I gotta give credit to the mushrooms and spinach though. I'm sure they helped in it. :D

You can make this vegetarian or into a side dish by just not adding the chicken. Or you can sub with firm tofu.


Chicken Florentine Penne Casserole
(serves 6)

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups dry penne pasta
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 300g frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
• 1 lb mushrooms, sliced
• 2 1/4 cups whole milk
• 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 284ml can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 Tbsp dry Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together milk, cheese, mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper until the mixture is no longer clumpy. Mix in chicken breasts, penne, spinach and mushrooms. 
3. Transfer mixture into a  2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, mix melted butter and Panko breadcrumbs. Sprinkle on top of the casserole. Tightly cover the casserole with a greased aluminum foil.
5. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 10 minutes, uncovered, to crisp up the breadcrumbs.
6. Serve with a light salad and/or soup.