Baked Chicken Pesto Alfredo

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 16 oz penne pasta - cooked al dente and drained
• 4 cups cooked chicken cubed
• 4 cups shredded Italian cheese blend 16 ounces
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 tablespoons basil pesto
• 3/4 cup crispy bacon- finely chopped
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. Make a simple white sauce by melting butter in a pan over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour over melted butter and whisk constantly for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Then add in chicken broth and whisk quickly together. Cook over heat until it’s thick and bubbles up. Set white sauce aside.
2. Cook penne pasta according to package directions. Drain noodles and then dump them into a large mixing bowl.
3. Add in white sauce, cooked chicken, cheese, spinach, crushed tomatoes, milk, pesto and 1/2 cup of the bacon. Mix well.
4. Pour pasta into a 9x13 baking dish.
5. In a separate bowl mix together parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, remaining bacon and olive oil.
6. Cover pasta with bread crumb mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
   
   
   Label:Baked Chicken Pesto Alfredo. Thaw, remove foil and plastic wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.