Dinner Ideas with Chicken: 3 Cheese Penne Chicken Pasta #SummerofGiving
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of pasta. By far my favorite kind of food. And my family is a huge fan too. I love it because first off, it’s amazing and yummy. I also like it because it’s easy to make, it is one of my favorite dinner ideas with chicken. But one of my favorite things about it is they make super easy freezer meals. I love to make double a batch, make it for dinner that night and then freeze it for one of those crazy days when I don’t want to make dinner. That’s what I did with this meal, but instead of saving the freezer meal for my family, I decided to make it for another family but it’s the #SummerofGiving and I wanted to help out a family in need.
3 Cheese Penne Chicken Pasta
Love the Applebee's 3 Cheese Penne? This is a copycat recipe that is delicious and easy to make.
Ingredients
Alfredo Sauce
- 4 oz 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese
- 2 Cups Low Fat Milk Not Skim
- 2 Tbsp Flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Bruschetta
- 4 Roma Tomatoes, diced
- 6-8 Basil Leaves
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 5 Tbsp Olive Oil
Pasta
- 1 Box Penne Pasta
- 1-1 1/2 Cups Italian Cheese
- 1 Package Grilled and Ready Chicken add as much or as little as wanted
Instructions
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Cook the penne pasta as directed on the box. Cook al dente (1-2 minutes less than recommended)
Prepare the Alfredo sauce
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Put the cream cheese, milk, flour, and salt into a blender and mix together. Set aside.
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Melt the butter in a sauce pan on medium heat. Then add the garlic and heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until bubbly.
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Add the mixture from the blender and stir constantly for 3-4 minutes. Then let it cook for 2-3 minutes more until it is a little thicker.
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Add the Parmesan cheese, stir and remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
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Add noodles to casserole dish and pour sauce over noodles.
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Add the chicken. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees
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While the pasta is baking, prepared the Bruschetta. Diced all the tomatoes, garlic and basil and then mix it all up with the olive oil. Set aside. Add to pasta when done cooking.
Teaching my kids to serve is also very important to me, so I had the whole family go over and help deliver the food to our friends. I challenge you to think about a friend or family in need and do something little for them. You could bring them dinner or invite them over for a meal. Or offer to watch their kids. It doesn’t matter what it is, just try to do some kind of service this week. Little things can make a big difference.Check out more of my pasta recipes:
(Sorry it shows up as Unknown. I can't get that off my Google account to save my life!) Anyways, great idea to give to your friends who are moving. I think most think "in need" means someone who is financially struggling but a need is a need no matter where it comes from. If you want, feel free to link this in a comment on my blog to show how other bloggers are doing this project http://jamiesthots.com/2014/06/16/know-community-involvement-can-end-hunger/
We get so busy during the summer that a quick, easy to put together dinner is always a welcome addition. It looks delicious!
I have a friend who is close to delivering her first baby. This is perfect to take to them after they get home.
I think my family might actually like this-I'll have to try it!
This looks yummy and a great meal to deliver to someone. I love the use of the bruschetta, Pinning and making this!
I love this! It's so important to help out our friends and our communities, and It's wonderful that you're teaching your kids about it as well! Hooray for Tyson and Champions for Kids making it easy for anyone to help kids in need! Your recipe looks absolutely delicious! What a great meal to share! #client
What a great meal to share. Thanks!