half a loaf of French bread
2 chicken breasts diced
3/4 cup of onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/3 cup flour
3 3/4 cups reduced fat milk
1/2 cup half-and-half (I use fat free half-and-half. I was amazed that they had fat free half-and-half. I thought fat was the whole point!)
1 bag of fresh baby spinach, chopped
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese (not the stuff in the can)
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 pound box penne pasta, cooked according to package directions
1/4 cup butter
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Put the bread in the food processor; pulse a few times until you have coarse crumbs. (If you do not have a food processor, you can just tear the bread into small pieces.)
3. Place flour in a small bowl. Gradually add 3/4 cup of milk, stirring until smooth. Set aside.
4. In a large pan, saute the chicken, onion, and garlic. When the chicken is cooked, add the flour mixture, 3 cups of milk, and half-and-half to the pan. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until thick (about 2-3 minutes)- still stirring constantly. Add the spinach, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add the cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir until the cheese melts.
5. Place the cooked pasta in a large bowl. Add the sauce to the pasta, and toss until the pasta is coated. Pour the pasta and sauce into a 9X13 dish. (Use non-stick cooking spray.)
6. Melt the butter. Combine the breadcrumbs and butter. Sprinkle the crumbs over the pasta.
7. Bake at 425 degrees until the crumbs are lightly browned. (5-10 minutes)
**It is better to reheat the leftovers in the oven, so the crumbs will get crispy again. Microwave reheating works too, but the crumbs will be more bread like.
