Fantastic Lunch/Three Cheese Chicken Florentine
Yesterday I had the most wonderful lunch. 5 women from my office who work in accounting/marketing/front office had been wanting to go out for lunch around Christmas, but with people’s schedules, vacations, etc… it never happened. Then next thing you know, it Februrary! So, one of my co-workers Kathy said “Just come to my house for lunch!” So we agreed on yesterday, and she really set the bar high! Kathy and I have had endless conversations about recipes, food finds, entertaining. When I first started at the company 4 years ago, I was taking over her job, and on that very same day I found out we were kind of soul mates! She and I have very similar tastes in things, we watch the same shows, we both love to cook, we both love Food TV Network. So, I knew lunch at her house was going to be impressive, and it was.
We entered her home to a warm crackling fireplace glowing in her living room. She had tiny cups that she filled with warm sweetened tea to warm us up from the cold outside. She had set her formal dining room table with place settings upon which was a box of Valentine’s hearts with your name on it, so you knew where to sit. She made this wonderful mixed salad with mandarin oranges and an orange vinaigrette dressing. She made the Three Cheese Chicken Florentine, which was amazing from Cooking Light Magazine. After lunch, she cleared the dishes, made coffee and then came in with this beautiful bowl filled with angel food cake, fresh strawberries and homemade chocolate ganache!
With the economy like it is, people losing their jobs, cutbacks at work, I felt so lucky to have such a wonderful friend who went above and beyond to make a special lunch for us. Thanks again Kathy!! So, I loved the dish so much, of course I had to ask for the recipe. This recipe was on the cover of Cooking Light back in 2006.
Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine
Fresh spinach, chicken, and a combination of cheeses make this dish comforting enough for the last days of winter yet fresh enough for the first days of spring. You also can cook the pasta mixture in individual eight-ounce ramekins; bake for 15 minutes.
1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray
3 cups thinly sliced mushrooms (she omitted the mushrooms, and so would I!)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (16-ounce) carton 2% low-fat cottage cheese
4 cups hot cooked penne (about 8 ounces uncooked tube-shaped pasta)
2 cups shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup, undiluted
Preheat oven to 425°.
Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach, oregano, and black pepper; sauté 3 minutes or just until spinach wilts.
Place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until very smooth. Combine spinach mixture, cottage cheese, pasta, chicken, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, milk, and soup in a large bowl. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.
(photo courtesy of Cooking Light)
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
CALORIES 345 (25% from fat); FAT 9.7g (sat 5.1g,mono 3.1g,poly 1g); IRON 2mg; CHOLESTEROL 56mg; CALCIUM 275mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.9g; SODIUM 532mg; PROTEIN 31.7g; FIBER 2.1g
We entered her home to a warm crackling fireplace glowing in her living room. She had tiny cups that she filled with warm sweetened tea to warm us up from the cold outside. She had set her formal dining room table with place settings upon which was a box of Valentine’s hearts with your name on it, so you knew where to sit. She made this wonderful mixed salad with mandarin oranges and an orange vinaigrette dressing. She made the Three Cheese Chicken Florentine, which was amazing from Cooking Light Magazine. After lunch, she cleared the dishes, made coffee and then came in with this beautiful bowl filled with angel food cake, fresh strawberries and homemade chocolate ganache!
With the economy like it is, people losing their jobs, cutbacks at work, I felt so lucky to have such a wonderful friend who went above and beyond to make a special lunch for us. Thanks again Kathy!! So, I loved the dish so much, of course I had to ask for the recipe. This recipe was on the cover of Cooking Light back in 2006.
Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine
Fresh spinach, chicken, and a combination of cheeses make this dish comforting enough for the last days of winter yet fresh enough for the first days of spring. You also can cook the pasta mixture in individual eight-ounce ramekins; bake for 15 minutes.
1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray
3 cups thinly sliced mushrooms (she omitted the mushrooms, and so would I!)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (16-ounce) carton 2% low-fat cottage cheese
4 cups hot cooked penne (about 8 ounces uncooked tube-shaped pasta)
2 cups shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup, undiluted
Preheat oven to 425°.
Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach, oregano, and black pepper; sauté 3 minutes or just until spinach wilts.
Place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until very smooth. Combine spinach mixture, cottage cheese, pasta, chicken, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, milk, and soup in a large bowl. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.
(photo courtesy of Cooking Light)
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
CALORIES 345 (25% from fat); FAT 9.7g (sat 5.1g,mono 3.1g,poly 1g); IRON 2mg; CHOLESTEROL 56mg; CALCIUM 275mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.9g; SODIUM 532mg; PROTEIN 31.7g; FIBER 2.1g