Chicken Parmesan Baked Pasta

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and cook the pasta according to package directions. Rinse and drain the pasta in a colander.

Pour pasta back into the pot and add the cooked chicken, marinara sauce, 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, and ½ cup parmesan cheese. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.

In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and panko bread crumbs and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool.

Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the pasta mixture evenly into the pan. Top with the remaining 1 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese. Mix the remaining ½ cup parmesan cheese into the panko bread crumbs. Sprinkle panko mixture over the top of the pasta. Spray a large piece of foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover the pasta dish.

Bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the foil from the pan and bake until the pasta is bubbly and panko topping is golden brown, about 5-10 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil, if desired.

Note-if you don’t have leftover cooked chicken or shredded chicken, cut 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite size pieces and cook in olive oil until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.