This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Barilla®.
Chicken Parmesan Spinach Pasta Bake is bite-sized chicken parmesan pieces tossed with fresh spinach, mozzarella cheese, pasta, and Barilla® Marinara Sauce.
It’s a great new twist on the classic Chicken Parmesan!
One of my favorite dishes that my mother used to make was her Chicken Parmesan.
My aunt had given her the recipe and to this day, that recipe is one now one of our family favorites.
I love how recipes are handed down through the generations and that they connect us.
There’s just something warm and fuzzy about that, isn’t there?
Food brings us together, allows us to share quality time with family and friends.
We share tears, laughter, memories and more all while sitting around the table eating a meal.
Ok, I’m beginning to get a little sappy here, can you feel it? haha
When I was growing up I cherished the times we’d spend with my extended family at holidays eating.
I’ve always loved to eat.
Is there anyone who doesn’t, actually?
And I think because of these meals, food became such an integral part of my life and brought me to where I am today.
Here.
Immersed in the food world.
Loving and soaking up as much as I possibly can.
And sharing.
With family, friends, and all of you.
Today, Barilla® gives each of you the opportunity to share your love of food and give something back!
I am very excited to tell you that Barilla®’s Taste the Difference Make a Difference is partnering with Feeding America, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to fighting domestic hunger through a network of food banks throughout the country!
No one deserves to be hungry and everyone should have access to good, fresh food.
Unfortunately for some people that just isn’t possible.
So, this is where YOU come in!
For every jar of Barilla® sauce purchased between 4/1/14 through 5/31/14, Barilla® will donate $.05 to Feeding America’s National Produce Program with a minimum donation of $150,000!
Now THAT’S a lot of wonderful fresh produce – 4,200,000 lbs. of fresh produce, in fact!
Visit Barilla® to learn more!
I’ve been using Barilla® for years in my recipes.
Whether it’s just with a simple and quick pasta dinner to this Chicken Parmesan Spinach Pasta Bake, I know that my family will be eating food that tastes fresh and delicious.
Chicken Parmesan Spinach Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Gemelli pasta
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut up into 1-inch bite-sized pieces
- 1 egg beaten
- ¾ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- 6 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 6 ounce fresh spinach chopped
- 48 ounces Barilla® Pasta Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare a 9 X 13-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
- Boil pasta for 2 minutes less than what is directed on package. Drain and set aside.
- In a shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and mix well.
- Working in batches, coat the chicken pieces in egg and then coat completely in the bread/cheese mixture.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place half the chicken pieces into the skillet and cook about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown.
- Remove and place on a plate covered with a paper towel. Continue process with remaining chicken, adding remaining olive oil to the skillet.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta, chopped spinach and 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
- Add both jars of Barilla® sauce. Mix well.
- Add chicken pieces and mix to coat.
- Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Sprnkle with remaining cup of shredded mozzarella.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
Nutrition
So many things we do make a difference in the lives of people around us.
I want you to hear how you make a difference, so leave me a comment telling me how you make a difference!
Because every single day you do.
It can be making meals for a neighbor, volunteering at your child’s school, the local library or by simply brightening up a stranger’s day when you give them a smile and say hello.
I can’t wait to hear your story!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Barilla®. For every jar of Barilla® sauce purchased, $0.05 will be donated to Feeding America’s National Produce Program which secures one pound of fresh produce on behalf of local food banks. Barilla® will make a minimum donation of 4.2 million pounds of fresh produce ($150,000) from 4/1/14 through 5/31/14.
I give you BIG baking hugs and muffins!!
Comments & Reviews
Good morning Lynne! I too, have used Barilla sauces and pasta for years; truly a quality product. Barilla’s participation in the Feeding America’s National Produce Program makes me 🙂 My husband and I give monies to our local Food Pantry as often as we can. We give money instead of non-perishable food since we learned it was cheaper for the Food Pantry to purchase products from our local market, therefore the ability to assist more individuals. I strive daily to become a better Christian, therefore a better person! Have a beautiful day Lynne 🙂
That’s awesome to hear, thanks so much, Deb!
It’s wonderful when we can do something to help others out.
Keep up the great work and may you have a beautiful day as well!
With a couple mom friends we started a local meal giving train for families with new babies!
I have a question. Do you think it would be possible to use unbreaded chicken in this, or chicken that was breaded but baked instead of shallow fried?
I was thinking of maybe just cooking up some chicken and mixing it in unbreaded. Do you think that would be ok? I try to not eat breading on meat so that is why I ask. And I for sure can’t have anything fried, which technically this chicken is, because it’s browned in oil.
Bethany,
you could definitely use chicken that isn’t breaded. I would just make sure that it is cooked all the way through first before adding to the remaining ingredients before baking.
I have a George Foreman grill that I LOVE and use the chicken I cook in that a lot in many of my meals. The chicken cooks in about 5 minutes and is really moist!
This looks great, but my family doesnt like chicken. Do you think it could be made with pork?
Shelley,
you could definitely substitute pork for chicken.
Enjoy and let me know what you think of it with the pork!
what sauce can we use/should use if we live in the uk?as would really love to make this 🙂
Joanne,
my first choice would be Barilla, but if that isn’t available in the UK, your favorite pasta sauce will do.
I BELONG TO A COMMUNITY CHORUS, AND BESIDES OUR TWO CONCERTS A YEAR WE LOVE TO DO PERFORMANCES IN THE COMMUNITY. FOR INSTANCE, WE SING AT OUR TOWN’S ANNUAL TREE-LIGHTING CEREMONY; WE BRING OUR SPRING CONCERT TO A LOCAL NURSING HOME; WE SING IN OUR TOWN’S ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING CELEBRATION, AND WE SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM AT SPORTING EVENTS.
That’s fantastic, Shelby, keep it up!
I use Barilla sauces and when I can get a coupon, I take it to a store that doubles it and then donate the sauce to our local food pantry. So nice to give them something besides generic things
That’s an awesome idea, Nanette! Keep it up and thanks for sharing. 🙂
Should the chicken be fully cooked before it goes into mixture?
AnneMarie,
the chicken will be slightly cooked o the outside from being cooked / fried in the pan, but it will completely cook when in the oven, so no, it doesn’t have to be completely cooked. If it is cooked all the way through before going into the oven there’s a chance it could become rubbery from being overcooked and nobody like rubbery chicken. Except clowns, perhaps. 😉
Taste the difference make a difference…love it! I was invited to a challenge last Fall. I was to gather 25 lbs of food by adding just a couple items to my weekly shopping and then donate them to my local food bank. I got so into it, that by the time I was to deliver it, I already had close to 100 lbs! So, I have kept it up and continue to add items each week. Barilla pasta and sauces, always make it into my cart and our weekly menus here at home. I am sure that they also provide tasty, nutritious meals for those less fortunate at the Arvada Food Bank. In January was able to also contribute food to a friends Brown Bag distribution. My angel of a friend, made brown bag lunches and delivered hundreds of them to the homeless in Denver. So much we can do right here in our own communities. No person should ever have to go hungry thank you for your involvement!
Susan,
that’s so awesome! Thanks so much for letting me know! It’s great for the soul when we help others and of course, benefits them as well. Keep up the great work!
This sounds lovely. Going to give this a go. thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon