Weeknight Chicken Parm Pasta

 

Welcome to a new week, mes amies.  I hope that everyone had a fantastic weekend. We are back to the grind now.

Weeknight meals always make me feel as if I have to walk a tight rope between healthy and something I can get made in under an hour. I don't want to have to sacrifice nourishment for quick and easy.  

I was very excited when i found a 1/2 hour start to finish recipe for Chicken Parm Pasta.  It came out pretty good. I made a few adaptations that make it great in my humble opinion. 

The pasta doesn't even need to be pre-cooked. How awesome is that? Also, you never turn your oven on, just the broiler.

Again, no long, drawn out story before the recipe. Who has time for that?

Ingredients:

 - 6 TBS of EVOO- divided

- 4 Fresh basil leaves, chopped

- Small onion, Minced

- 4 garlic cloves, minced, divided

- 1 Box of Penne Pasta

- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed Cento crushed tomato ( Cento tomatoes really have the best flavor)

- 2 teaspoons table salt, divided

- 1 1/2 C panko bread crumbs

- 2TBS Red Pepper Flakes

- 2 1/2 C shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese

- 1 Large rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded, meat shredded into bite-size pieces (3 cups)

Steps :

Heat 4 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and three-quarters of garlic and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add pasta, tomatoes, water, 1¾ teaspoons salt, and pepper flakes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover; and simmer until pasta is tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, combine panko, remaining olive oil, remaining garlic, and remaining salt in bowl. Microwave until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes in 30 second intervals stirring each time; set aside.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat broiler. Stir chicken into pasta and sprinkle ½ of the panko on top, then top the panko with the mozzarella . Broil until mozzarella is melted and spotty brown, about 5 minutes.  Pull out from under the broiler, sprinkle with remaining panko mixture and chopped basil, serve.

30 minutes start to finish. Delicious and healthy. What more could we ask for?

XO,

SheShe