Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine

As one who prefers pasta dishes to rice dishes, this won't as long to make in my house, nor will it takes as many prep dishes. First of all, I don't use a blender to mix things up, a simple mix bowl big enough for stirring without spilling will do. The pasta cooking is about 8 minutes maximum and the saute another 10 minutes once all the vegetables are chopped up. As I use garlic and season my vegetables with salt and crushed red pepper this would not be bland as one person commented. ( I just use a shake or two of salt not a measured amount barely a 1/16 of a teaspoon) I would have the cheese (cottage or ricotta, cheddar, and parmesan plus the milk and soup already mixed in the bowl prior to putting in the sauteed vegetables and have a pan ready to put in the oven as this is basically another version of baked ziti using a different recipe. The only hold up to serving is the 15-20 minute wait for the dish to settle after baking. For me, total cook time about 30 minutes plus the settling time equals 50 minutes total during which I wash all the dishes and pans I used before serving dinner. Only things missing is the wine, salad and the garlic bread to complete the meal.

This is super easy and delicious.  I've been making it for years!  Here are a couple tips: 1) don't bother pureeing the cottage cheese.  It tastes just fine without doing it and you get fewer dishes dirty.  2) you can make it vegetarian easily by leaving out the chicken and subbing cream of mushroom for cream of chicken soup!

Not a dish I would make again. Too creamy for me and lacked flavor. Also pretty time consuming and uses lots of dishes as well as a processor. Leftovers tasted better than the first go.

Finding casserole recipes that can work with teenage boys with Celiac Disease and taste good is always a challenge.  I followed this recipe all the way through, substituting GF penne pasta for the regular and making my own cream of chicken soup (found a recipe that worked really well!).  My boys devoured the casserole, raving about how great it was.  My husband and daughter also really enjoyed it.  I hadn't read the reviews prior to making this, but next time I will kick it up a bit with some of my favorite seasonings, and may add some Italian sausage to it too!

But Judi the reviews marked N/A were all 4 and 5 stars so your theory doesn't hold water.

Cooking Light appears to be editing any negative reviews and replacing them with N/A, so this post will probably not see the light of day.

Cooking LIGHT??? Tossing cottage cheese into a dish along withe whole milk and other high fat cheeses does not make it light or healthy. SMH

This recipe would be a winner if it included salt and pepper, which every non-dessert recipe should include in my opinion. I loved this when I made it, the only changes I made was; I sauteed the peppers and onions until very soft before adding the mushrooms, and after adding the spinach I added salt and pepper but omitted the oregano I don't think it needs it. I also left the cottage cheese whole and used whole wheat penne. I will be making this again!

I've made this twice in the past two weeks. It's absolutely delicious. My only complaint would be the time consuming prep. I used a half of a leftover rotisserie chicken the second time I made it, that definitely saved on time. I did leave out the red pepper, and added in 3 chopped up slices of bacon to my wilted spinach. Just adding a little bacon really bumped up the flavor without adding too many calories. (I just used slightly less cheese to compensate)

This was delicious. After reading the reviews, I added crushed red peppers, reduced the soup to only a third of the can and cut the milk in half. That avoided the soupiness other reviewers reported. My teenaged daughters loved it. It was a little time consuming prep-wise so I recommend this for a night where you have a little extra time.

I agree with WildGirl89. I made the recipe as stated. There is an aftertaste which I associate with the reduced fat/reduced sodium soup. No matter what, these soups just can't compare with the real thing. Even so, I wouldn't bother trying it again with the full fat/sodium version of the soup. With all of the veggies that go into this, you'd think it would be bursting with flavor. Sadly, this is not the case. There is definitely something lacking, and it is not worth the extensive amount of time and effort I put into making this.

Really liked the recipe, but modified it a bit. Added salt and pepper while sauteing in step 1 and 2. Added 1 tsp garlic, 1/2 cup sliced sun dried tomatoes (in oil), 2 TBSP fresh basil, 1/4 cup smoked Gouda, 1/8 tsp cayenne and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes. Baked the chicken breasts (dry rub) at 225, covered and with some water, for 4 hours, and then shredded it. I did not blend the cottage cheese. Still needed a little salt and cracked pepper when serving. I will do this recipe again.

This is a good solid recipe! Have made this a few times now, as written with one change - I don't like cream of chicken soup (too salty and those scary looking bits of chicken); I used the low sodium cream of mushroom soup. We really like it; although a bit labor intensive.

Made as noted. Agree with those who said it lacked flavor. Needs "something" ... Some seasoning/herb to convince me to make again.

I made this as written (except the oregano because I didnt have any) and it was delicious. Reading other less-favorable reviews, I thought I might add that you probably shouldnt use the powdery parmesean so it doesnt get grainy. I am eating the leftovers now, and its even better than it was last night.

could use more spinach. used mushroom soup instead of cr of chicken. added celery. good dish.

I am liking the fact that theres a lot of vegetables also going into it. These sound delicious, I am going to make them, hopefully I don't mess them up, and they taste just as good as they sound and look.

This was delicious. I first made it for myself and my 10 year old (who isn't a fan of vegetables). We both loved it and she didn't mind the veggies at all!! Then I made it for Dinner at my parents house, everyone enjoyed it. I used whole wheat penne noodles.

Tasted grainy and bland. Did not enjoy it hot, and the leftovers were inedible.

Used regular sharp cheddar, 1.5% cottage cheese, half can of reg cream of chicken soup that I diluted, 1/4 cup milk. Added garlic, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, fresh basil, and used half chicken half sweet italian sausage and still thought it lacked flavor. Good consistency, creamy, crunchy; really good as leftovers when I added cayenne. Next time add maybe 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne to sauce to give it needed flavor punch. Prep is time consuming, but assemble everything ahead of time and just pop in over for 25 min and it was an easy dinner.

Very, very good. I added minced garlic in with the mushrooms and onions and some Penzey's Fox Point seasoning while mixing the pasta and cheeses together. The family loved it - DH called it the ultimate comfort food. Very filling. I probably wouldn't make it on a work night again, too many dishes to clean, but it would definitely be great on a fall/winter weekend night. Served with a tossed salad.

Yum, Yum, Yum! This casserole is very creamy and cheesy. It could use a little more spice, but overall, it's a good recipe. I'll be making this one again.

Delicious! And reasonable easy to make. Didn't use the soup and added a can of tomatoes and some garlic...turned out perfect!

There are things about this dish that are very good- the consistency is great and I love the idea of blended cottage cheese making the dish creamy without a lot of fat. But the flavor falls a little short. i'm wondering if I could add a can of chiles or something to make it more flavorful. I think the veggies need to be sauteed a little longer - I like my casserole veggies to be pretty soft and these were fairly al dente. Good base of a recipe that I may try again with some tweaks!

I love reading the previous reviews and incorporating all the best ideas in the recipe. I left out the soup and only used about 1/4 cup milk. I used baby bella mushrooms and added garlic, fresh basil and crushed red pepper to the mix. I prepared this for a neighborhood progressive dinner, so after cooking I left in the oven at 250 degrees for about an hour covered with foil. It looked wonderful and it got rave reviews. Will definitely make again!

Pretty good. Needs garlic and basil. I may add chopped artichokes next time.

This was delicious! I only used half the can of soup since a lot of people said this dish was too runny. Fresh out of the oven, I thought it was still a little runny and that next time I'd halve the milk too. However as leftovers it's really creamy and delicious, so not sure I'd actually do that. Overall I thought this was a good recipe -- creamy and filling without feeling too rich. Easy to make. Would be ideal to prep the night before and then bake after work. Not the prettiest presentation from a casserole dish, but I could definitely see baking in individual ramekins with a parsley garnish for a dinner party. Other changes made: - Mushroom soup instead of chicken - Didn't process cottage cheese - Used dried oregano instead of fresh, and subbed half dried Italian seasonings. - chopped pre-sliced chicken instead of pulled

Oh my goodness, why would you add the chicken soup? It is delicious and creamy without it! Whole family loved it.

Yummy pasta dish with lots of veggies. The three cheeses provided enough of a sauce for my family; we didn't feel the need to add the cream of chicken soup nor the 2% milk.

I made this as written only I halved the recipe for my husband and myself. It was ok but not a recipe I would put in my rotation. It just wasn't tup to our flavor pallet. Not bland, just not something I would crave.

One of the better recipes for leftover chicken or turkey. I used turkey and cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken. We all liked it.

Made it for dinner tonight. It was delicious! This recipe is a keeper.

Excellent pasta casserole. Used what I had available: store roasted chicken cubed, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, reconstituted shitake mushrooms, Cabot 75% reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, skim milk, rehydrated dried red bell pepper and onions. Added 1/2 teaspoon salt. Everything else was as recipe listed. I did not rinse cooked pasta as some reviewers said dish was too runny. Took 35 minutes to bubble and brown. Also let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Casserole set up enough to cut in squares and serve with spatula. Dish had a depth of flavor that my family loved. I served with 100% whole wheat rolls split, brushed with rosemary olive oil and toasted under the broiler. I will definitely make again.

This recipe is not very good. And at nearly 350 calories for a single cup, it's high calorie and not filling enough. A LOT of dairy product, and the Campbells soup is pretty bad. Not really impressed for something that is supposed to be tasty and light. Would not make again. (Originally cooked this last fall from the recipe collection.)

this is so tasty! i used whole wheat penne, and subbed chicken broth for milk because I didn't have any. I also used reduced fat jalapeno cheddar. will definitely make again!!

Whole family loves it. You'd never know in a million years it was healthy. My teenage daughter said "Mom, this canNOT be good for us!" Creamy and delicious and my picky husband didn't even mind the spinach.

Very good. My whole family loved it, even my daughter who doesn't like mushrooms and spinach!! Will definitely make this again.

I didn't use fresh oregano, so I think I'm going to try that and add zucchini and maybe yellow bell peppers next time.

One of my absolute favorites!!

My husband and I both thought this dish was absolutely amazing. I will definitely be serving it again as it's a new staple in our dinner rotation!

Really good, satisfied my craving for a creamy chicken casserole. I didn't have the red pepper so I used the same amount of diced frozen veggies and it turned out fine. Also I thought the recipe was too much for a 2-quart casserole so I used a 3-quart dish and it filled it. It was creamy and comforting, but missing a "wow" flavor.

Delicious, versatile dish. You can make it with the chicken or without. Other ingredients blend together for a rich, creamy flavor. Will definitely make again.

This was fantastic and different than the tired old chicken casserole dishes. Nothing out of the ordinary and easy to make. I don't like mushrooms, so I omitted those. I think the red peppers combined with the parmesan are what give it the unexpected flavor. Definitely making this again, and again, and....

Prepared recipe as directed. No substitutions. The dish was OK, but I certainly would not serve it to company. And, I will not make it again. For those who worried about tasting the cottage cheese, don't worry. You would not know that it was in the recipe.

I followed this recipe exactly as written. It was excellent. It will be a make again dish in my house. I wouldn't change a thing.

This was creamy and delicious! Awesome!

I loved this recipe! I love how it had so many vegetables, but you could hardly tell at all! I couldnt find fresh oregano at the grocery store (I know weird) so I used dried, but it still tasted great! Going into my recipe box for sure!

I was a little skeptical about this recipe because we're not big cottage cheese fans in our house. But it was so good! We left out the red bell pepper. Also sauteed some fresh garlic in with all the other items. Tried a recipe I found online for homemade varieties of cream of soups- it was well worth the extra trouble. The homemade cream of chicken was much healthier, tastier, and low in sodium- you could eat it with a spoon it was so good. Added some extra cheese, but reduced the amount of cheddar, making up for it with italian blend, the parmesan, and some fresh asiago. I'm thinking about making a double batch next time and keeping one in the freezer for a super-easy, but delicious weeknight meal. Definitely one of our favorite dishes! Mmmm... I want some right now:)

It's a good recipe that could be great . Needs spice and the cottage cheese is awesome. I think the soup ruins it

Delicious! Quick and easy to make. My friend and her family loved it. This is a keeper..

I tasted this it was good. Made it for the family. They loved it. I did make a few changes, used cream of mushroom soup, added bacon about 6 strips also added fresh garlic. extra cheese, added left over feta, about 1/4 cup.

This recipe was awesome!!! I love the all the veggies that are in it and how they come together. I used whole wheat pasta and it was great. I have a new appreciation for cottage cheese!! I would eat this everyday if I could. And still can't believe it is low in calories!!!

Fabulous! Cheesy and creamy - the perfect comfort food. Even got my veggie-hating husband to eat spinach! This one's a keeper.

I was skeptical to cook this, but it came out excellent- if you have the slightest cooking intuition you'll make a great meal. I added garlic, lemon zest, a lemon, and cilantro to the mix and it came out excellent!

Loved it! Next time I would add more penne pasta and less cottage chesse. My son loved it! Great dish

This was a huge hit in my house. I will definitely be making again. I followed some of the suggestions of other reviewers. I didn't chop the spinach. I used Italian seasoning instead of just oregano. I used ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese and I didn't process the cheese. I used cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken, and I used an extra half cup of milk.

This was just one of those recipes that when you take a bite, you know it's five stars instantly!!! Wow! For a light pasta recipe, this is outstanding, creamy, cheesy and oh so flavorful! I left out the bell pepper and had to serve the mushrooms as a side item. Also used dried oregano instead of fresh.

Good, hearty recipes.

This was just okay for me. I would use cream of mushroom next time instead of the cream of chicken, and I would also use half the oregeno as I thought it was a little over powering. Other wise this would be great.

I thought this recipe was wonderful. It was very tasty and very hard to only eat 1 serving. If you love cheese, chicken, and pasta, make this; you won't be disappointed. I followed the recipe to a T and it turned out so creamy and delicious.

This one of my all time favorite casseroles. It's easy to make and tastes fantastic. I think it's even better cold the next day. I've made it exactly as the recipe says and also without the veggies and it's great either way. I usually add a bit more milk just to thin the sauce a little.

It's missing something. I'll make it again to see if adding something with a bit of tang to it will liven it up a little. It was tastey though.

Tasted no better than a diet frozen meal. I normally love cooking light, but this failed.

Great for a large gathering. I just double the recipe. I use whole milk cheese -I don't like how low fat melts. Lots of compliments on this one!

Ugghh! This is probably the worst recipe I've made from MyRecipes.com. My husband took one bite and threw his out. I ate my portion only because there was nothing else to eat.

I made this for my boyfriend and friends and everyone loved it. My friends asked for the recipe and my boyfriend requests that I make it all the time.

Very yummy! Just needs a touch of salt to the mix before baking.

Recently made this for my whole family during a large family vacation - what a hit! Everyone loved it! I sometimes play with the vegies in the recipe - adding/deleting recipe vegies and adding broccoli, carrot and/or sun-dried tomato. Have also used the base (cottage cheese/milk/soup mixture with swiss instead in broccoli, chicken, rice/wild rice casserole) turned out great!

Just terrible. The cream of chicken just drowns out all the veggies and cheese. Dumped most of it.

this was an instant hit! i use it to help teach friends cooking, also. it's just got enough to do to make them feel like they really worked at it, but it's always wonderful!! and it's so easy to adjust the ingrediants to fit everyones taste.

This recipe is excellent. It feeds a ton of people. It's a crowd pleaser so I usually make it then freeze it and take it down to the beach for the extended family. I like that you work in the cottage cheese and spinach and the kids don't even notice. Comfort food.

Absolutely delicious! I forgot to add milk and cream of chicken soup, but didn't miss it at all. Creamy, flavorful hearty recipe! My husband and I added crushed red pepper at the table. Wonderful!

I even used some of the reviewers suggestions which they thought improved the recipe, and I was still disappointed. It was better the second day - not as much soupy taste but too much work for okay results. It does make a ton so we froze half of it.

This was pretty good- very creamy and tasty. I added fresh garlic and would probably add diced tomatoes next time.

It's great! Also a great recipe to freeze half and finish cooking another night!

Loved this recipe. Used Colby/Jack mix not cheddar. Used 3 chicken breasts cut in strips and marinated in McCormick's grill mates (tomatoe, garlic, basil) then grilled on the stove top. Added 2 tablespoons of butter during last minute of the saute'. Also, used whole milk, whole wheat penne and dry oregano. FANTASTIC!

I was really disappointed in this dish. I decided to make it after reading all the positive reviews. Maybe it was simply the canned cream of chicken soup that one can always taste when it's called for in a recipe. I followed the directions to a "T." It looked and smelled appealing, but the taste was just blah. My husband even commented it tasted like tuna casserole. I won't make it again.

Super good! I put the soup, milk and the parmesan cheese in the processor with the cottage cheese. I also just cooked the veggies in an oven-safe dish so I wouldn't have to use so many different ones. I just added the chicken, pasta & sauce and put that in the oven. Be sure your noodles are cooked just UNDER al dente or they will get mushy! My kids loved it so that makes it a winner in my book!

This recipe made for great comfort food, but it didn't really wow me. I subbed in canned tomatoes and chopped zucchini for the mushrooms and red peppers. I also added a half teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and I used dried Italian seasonings instead of fresh oregano, plus one teaspoon of bottled minced garlic. I also didn't process the cottage cheese. I made all of these changes mostly to save time, and add a little more flavor, and it really came together relatively fast. I would happily recommend this recipe for a filling weeknight dinner - plus LOTS of leftovers to take to work, I just wouldn't make it for a special occasion. Also, even with a salad on the side, I’d still say this only makes about six servings. Still a fairly healthy recipe though after refiguring the calories/fat for six servings instead of eight. This one is a keeper!

Great dish, and I will make again. I did make some changes, but I don't think it altered the recipe so much that I can't comment. I used sun-dried tomatoes rather than red bell pepper. I had chicken in the freezer, and used that. I forgot the milk, and the mix wasn't too thick, so that didn't matter. Very easy, and very good. highly recommend!

Thought it was good. Could have been a little creamier and maybe with some tomatoes could have a little more taste. I will definitely make it again though. Did enjoy it.

This dish is fantastic! It is very creamy and light. My only complaint was that I could have eaten A LOT more than one serving's worth (about a cup). I'm counting calories and one cup (345 cals) of this didn't do me justice. I was starving after eating it. But, it's a great dish and would definitely make it again. My boyfriend also loved it. I couldn't find roasted, shredded chicken in the grocery store, so I just pan-fried a chicken breast without oil and cut it into chunks.

We absolutely love this! I used cream of mushroom instead of cream of chicken soup, and used fontina cheese instead of the cheddar. I also used a little more onion - a whole sweet onion chopped.

I realy like this recipe & my family really enjoyed it. I added a touch of fresh basil & it popped really well.

I made this for guests and we all thought it was wonderful! I used dried oregano and baby bellas for the mushrooms and used a Costco Rotisserie chicken for the shredded chicken. It was really a great dish! I will definitely be making this again.

This recipe took a surprisingly long time for me to make. However, it was so worth it! And it definitely does make at least 8 servings, so if you're like me and making this for 2 people, be prepared to have freezer tupperware containers.

this was a tasty recipe, definitely a good one if cooking for a crowd. my only complaints were that it was a bit soupy and bland- next time i will probably use less cream of chicken soup and omit the milk. i might also add garlic to the vegetables and some crushed red pepper.

I forgot to thaw the chicken so that didn't make it in the dish but it was good without it. There is some prep time with this so I wouldn't consider it a meal to whip up on a busy night, but now that I've made it, I will prep the stuff earlier. My husband like this but thought it needed a little more to it. I think I'll add more oregano and maybe a few red pepper flakes. I think kids would go for this too.

Good meal to have in the fridge for my husband when I'm working. He really likes it. I've made it several times and will make again. Just fine as written or I use whole wheat penne, extra red pepper, sometimes with broccoli, also add garlic.

I did not really like this recipe. I thought it had an overpowering flavor of cream of chicken soup.

I added more cheese than what the recipee called for but I absolutely loved it! & so did my husband. A new favorite!