Baked Penne with Chicken, Spinach and Peppers

As room mom for Miss F's class, the main responsibility is to provide lunch for all the teachers in the school. I re-adapted Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes by taking some of C's suggestions and changing up the vegetables. Since we were serving lasagna with this, I decided to omit the sun-dried tomatoes. I also made a dish for us for dinner. I may have not thought things through so well when I nearly tripled the recipe, I just don't have bowls big enough to accommodate all that pasta, sauce, chicken and vegetables. My kitchen looked like a pasta mess after I was done, normally I try to be a pretty neat cook, but when you have three bowls going, you do what you can. C really enjoyed this much more than its original incarnation. Miss F's favorite part was the chicken, big surprise there.

Baked Penne with Chicken, Spinach and Peppers

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound penne pasta
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, halved horizontally
10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
½ onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups whole milk
1 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 package frozen spinach, drained and thawed
½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot. In a Dutch oven, heat one teaspoon oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise. Add two teaspoons oil to the pan, sauté the mushrooms, onion and peppers for 3 minutes, until tender. Remove the mushrooms and peppers from the pan, add the butter and melt over medium heat. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Off heat, gradually stir in the Parmesan. Add chicken, mushrooms, bell pepper, spinach and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with ¼ cup mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

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