CREAMY PENNE PRIMAVERA

Creamy Penne Primavera image

This tasty penne pasta primavera dish has a white cheese base. Great for potlucks and large groups.

Provided by IamSam

Categories Main Dish Recipes Pasta Pasta Primavera Recipes

Time 1h10m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 16

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Ingredients

1 teaspoon butter, or as needed
1 (1 pound) package whole grain penne pasta (such as Barilla®)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (16 ounce) bottle creamy Italian salad dressing, divided
½ cup mayonnaise (such as Hellmann's®)
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup milk
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups fresh spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 clove elephant garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped into small chunks
1 pinch paprika, or to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter a 9x13-inch baking pan.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, for 9 minutes.
While pasta cooks, place cream cheese into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 of the Italian salad dressing, mayonnaise, sour cream, and milk. Whisk until creamy and melted, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese; whisk cheese sauce again until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
Place spinach in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high power until soft, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and chop.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic; saute until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
Drain the pasta, rinse the pot, and return pasta to the clean pot.
Stir cheese sauce into pasta until coated. Add cooked spinach and onion mixture; stir. Add red bell pepper and remaining Italian dressing. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Pour into the prepared baking pan. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 668.9 calories, Carbohydrate 52.2 g, Cholesterol 49.9 mg, Fat 44.3 g, Fiber 5.4 g, Protein 18.3 g, SaturatedFat 13.6 g, Sodium 1292.8 mg, Sugar 8.9 g