Creamy Chicken & Pasta Bake

I made this dinner for the first time the other night. We all liked it. :) It's from Kraft.



Whenever I can, I try to get the ingredients ready beforehand like this. It makes things go so much more smoothly!


After you put the last cheese on top, bake it only until the cheese melts. Too long and it will start to dry out.


Creamy Chicken & Pasta Bake
Printable version here

1 1/2 cups rotini pasta, uncooked (about 6 oz.)
1 small bunch broccoli, cut into florets
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (or less; I use 10 oz.)
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 oz. cream cheese, regular or light (just under 1/2 a package)
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (4 oz.), divided
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper
Garlic powder and/or Italian seasoning

1. Heat oven to 375º. Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, adding broccoli for last 4 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add a little oil & swirl it around, then add chicken. Cook 3 min. or until no longer pink, stirring frequently. Stir in broth; simmer 3 min. or until chicken is done. Add cream cheese; cook and stir on low heat 1 min. or until melted. Stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella. (Also, the original recipe doesn't state this, but at this point you should add a little salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you'd like. I used about 1/2 tsp. garlic powder and 1 tsp. Italian seasoning.)

3. Drain pasta & broccoli. Add to chicken mixture, mix lightly. Spoon into 8-inch square baking dish; cover with foil.

4. Bake 10 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake, uncovered, 3 min. or until melted.

Why I love it? The sauce tastes really creamy & flavorful, but it's lower in fat than traditional alfredo sauce. Broccoli is my favorite vegetable (really, one of the very few I like), so I enjoyed this new way to serve it. It was really easy cooking it with the noodles. The kids asked for seconds, too, which means this is a make-again recipe!