Three Cheese Chicken Alfredo Bake

This is why I love cooking...
I adapted this recipe from Plain Chicken.com and Plain Chicken adapted it from Southern Living! I love that recipes are living things that grow and change over time. I also love recipes that are versatile because I often change my mind regarding dinner at the last minute and I'm a fan of recipes that just require throwing ingredients together and calling it a day, especially when I can change up those ingredients according to what I have on hand.

This recipe has been halved. If you double it, you can bake it in a 9x13. I cut it in half because there are only 2.5 of us and even still, I'll be bringing lunch for my co-workers tomorrow!

Three Cheese Chicken Alfredo Bake
adapted from Plain Chicken

Ingredients
1/2 box (8-ounce) penne macaroni (or whatever shape you have on hand)
1 (15-ounce) containers refrigerated Alfredo sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 cup container cottage cheese (you could use ricotta too, I just prefer cottage cheese)

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (fresh adds a lot more flavor than dried)

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1.5 cups cooked chicken, chopped (I used a rotisserie chicken)
5 oz (1/2 of a 10 oz package) frozen, chopped spinach (defrosted and drained - you literally have to wring it out)
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain and return to pot.

2. Add to noodles: Alfredo sauce, sour cream, cottage cheese, egg, Parmesan and chopped parsley. Stir to combine.

3. Add oil and minced garlic to a skillet and heat on medium until garlic just begins to cook.  Add mushrooms and continue cooking a few more minutes until mushrooms begin to soften.  Add chicken and spinach and heat through (another couple minutes).

4. Add chicken mixture to pasta mixture and stir to combine. I added a little pepper too because the hubs loves peppery Alfredo sauce.

5. Transfer mixture to a lightly greased casserole dish, top with mozzarella, and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes (depending on the depth of your casserole dish) until browning and bubbly.

6. Serve with soft, buttery breadsticks or garlic bread (and maybe a salad if you're the healthy type).

*Other veggies that would be be good? Broccoli, bell peppers, onions, asparagus, or chopped tomatoes (probably not all at the same time though!)

*This would also be delicious with the addition of cooked, chopped bacon... but then again... what wouldn't?