I found this recipe on a money saving site I visit weekly. In reading through the recipe, I was struck immediately by the fact that this recipe used only ingredients I typically keep on hand. It is fairly frugal, using a good substitute of ingredients to replace one that is typically costly. I saved a bit more by using a substitute for another ingredient, which is near enough the original to taste the same.
The site I visited had this listed as a freezer meal and suggested that you make it in two 9x9 pans. That was what I'd planned to do but instead, I ended up making it as a regular meal and am freezing the leftovers.
I cooked my chicken first in the crock pot, but you could sub in any leftover cooked chicken if it's not pre-seasoned. I upped the flavor profile just a little and altered the liquid...in other words I've adjusted the recipe and made it my own take on the original, so I won't be passing credit to anyone else due to all the substitutions.
This was a huge hit with my family and as I said, there were enough leftovers to freeze and have another time. Again, I am much amused at how I can take something from the freezer and end up putting back an entire meal, lol.
Tuscan Chicken Pasta
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 tsps. of minced garlic
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped sundried tomatoes (not oil packed)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened, cubed
3 cups whole milk
1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
4-6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
16 ounces pasta of choice, cooked
Place chicken in the crockpot and cook on high for 3-5 hours or low for 4-6 hours. Once chicken is cooked you can cut it into chunks or use a fork to make thick rustic bits. Top with seasonings and dried tomatoes. Stir and continue to cook on low.
To make sauce: Heat milk, cream cheese and butter. Cook until slightly thickened. Add sauce to crockpot. I let mine cook for another hour on low and then switched the slow cooker over to warm. I added in the cooked pasta about 15 minutes before I planned to serve it.
notes: The original recipe called only for basil. I didn't find that gave me quite enough flavor.
Because I don't use freshly minced garlic, using water packed minced, I did add in the garlic powder just to bring up the garlic flavor a little bit.
The original recipe called for 2 cups of milk. We like our pasta a little more saucy. I ended up adding in extra milk. I didn't have the Parmesan cheese (my daughter brought it to me when she came in from work) and I knew that the cheese was going to cause the sauce to thicken more and then the pasta would absorb quite a bit once it was added. That extra cup of milk was the perfect amount.
Not only did we get 3 generous and 1 toddler sized portion, but I put aside a full portion for my daughter's work. I still had enough leftovers to freeze in a 9x9 pan. The original recipe said to bake at 350F from frozen for 40-50 minutes, if thawed for 30-40 minutes.
I've noticed that there are many online recipes for this dish and most include fresh spinach, which I think would be a delicious addition.
