Tuscan Chicken Pasta

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.