Baked Chicken and Penne

This is one of the best baked pasta dishes I've had in a while. It's a Weight Watchers recipe, but it is packed with flavor! It was a hit with the whole fam. Preparation takes about an hour from start to finish.

-1/2 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4" strips
-1 onion, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, chopped
-1 (28 ounce) can low sodium crushed tomatoes
-1 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
-1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
-2 cups penne or ziti
-2/3 cup non-fat ricotta cheese (I use the full fat good stuff!)
-1/3 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese (I use a heck of a lot more)
-2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray (I just use a drizzle of olive oil); heat skillet. Add the chicken and cook, turning as needed until lightly browned, 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet (after spraying more nonstick spray if that's what you used), stirring as needed until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and pepper (I also add in some fresh chopped basil and a can of mushrooms, drained). Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring as needed until the mixture is thickened slightly, 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and then mix with the ricotta cheese.

Pour half of the tomato mixture into a 9"X13" baking pan, layer with the pasta mixture, the chicken, and then the remaining tomato mixture. Sprinkle with the cheeses (I used a lot more mozzarella than the recipe called for because we LOVE cheese!). Bake until hot and bubbling and the cheese is melted, about 15-20 minutes.

I don't believe in non-fat anything and typically don't use low sodium products so the "per serving stats" below are without any of my substitutions/additions.

Per Serving:
-381 calories
-5 g total fat
-2 g saturated fat
-40 mg cholesterol
-209 mg sodium
-52 g total carbs
-3 g dietary fiber
-31 g protein
-371 mg calcium
-7 Weight Watchers points