This baked pasta recipe can be altered depending on what you have in your fridge and pantry and can even be spiced up a bit. I will include some optional add-in ideas in the recipe below.
Ingredients
1 Package of Pasta (I used Casarecce)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3-4 strips of bacon, diced and cooked
1 can of diced tomatoes (I used Italian seasoned)
1 zucchini, cubed
1 can of Hunt’s Pasta Sauce (I used garlic and herb)
1 cup of parmesan cheese (or more if you like extra cheese)
1 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
Optional Add-Ins:
1 small onion
mushrooms
red bell peppers
crushed red pepper flakes
Mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Boil a large pot of water and cook your pasta. Drain.
Start by cooking bacon in your DaTerra Cucina pan on medium-high heat. Place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain, leaving some of the grease in the pan.
Season your chicken with salt and pepper, then place your cubed chicken into the pan with a little bit of bacon grease and cook until almost done. Set aside.
Drizzle a little bit of olive oil into the pan and toss in your minced garlic and cook until fragrant (no longer than 30 seconds).
Once the garlic is fragrant, toss in your zucchini and cook just until it starts to soften. It’s important not to overcook the zucchini at this point.
Add your can of diced tomatoes, and half of your can of pasta sauce to your pan with the garlic and zucchini and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken up (about 10 minutes).
Once your sauce has thickened a bit, place your chicken and bacon back into the pan. Place your pasta (one handful at a time) into your pan until you feel like you have an even amount of pasta, veggies, sauce and meat, stirring while adding. If you feel like you don’t have enough sauce, you can always use the other half of your can of pasta sauce.
Mix together your Italian seasoned bread crumbs and parmesan cheese and sprinkle on top of your pan of pasta.
Place the entire pan into your preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until it starts to get golden brown on top. Using a potholder to protect your hand, carefully remove the baked pasta from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe by The Naptime Reviewer at https://www.thenaptimereviewer.com/2017/09/baked-pasta-recipe.html