Soooo, you know how I have been telling you guys how I’m trying to eat healthier and whatnot. Well, I have! That is the truth! Veggies! Fruits! Whole grains! Oh my!

BUT, I will admit there are times when carbs and cheese call your my name. Comfort food. Am I right?

I had found this recipe on Pinterest a couple weeks ago, but because I can’t do anything by the book, I of course had to adapt it and make it my own. And the other night I was craving comfort food cheese and carbs and so I decided to make this for dinner.

It was DELICIOUS. In fact, it was so delicious – this Instagram photo of it above is the only picture I have of it. I didn’t even remember to take real photos of it with my real camera because I scarfed it down so quickly. Bahaha!

It was also super easy to make, AND it made a TON of leftovers which is awesome for lunches and subsequent dinners when you just don’t have time to whip up a whole ‘nutha meal. You know what I mean?

Anyway, enough rambling. Here’s the recipe:

RECIPE | Chicken and Three Cheese Pasta Bake

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (16 ounce) box tri-color rigatoni pasta
• 1 (8 oz) box of non-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup of milk (may need more if sauce is looking too thick)
• 1 (15 ounce) container Ricotta cheese
• 2 tbs of butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cups cooked, diced chicken
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons dried Parsley
• 2 teaspoons of dried Oregano
• 2 teaspoons of dried Basil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large pot, cook the pasta like you would any other pasta. You know, by boiling it in water and stuff. I like to add some olive oil to my water so that the pasta doesn’t stick together when I strain it. #trickofthetrade.

Once the pasta is cooked and strained, then add all the ingredients to the large pot – EXCEPT the mozzarella cheese. That includes all the cheeses (except the mozzarella), spices, milk, etc. If you are noticing that the sauce is too thick, add more milk. I didn’t measure the milk when I made this, so I’m GUESSING it’s around 1/2 cup. So, that’s why I’m saying start out small and add more if you need it. You want it to be thicker, but creamy – not RUNNY.

Then, in a greased, 13×9 baking dish, put the pasta / cheese / chicken / spice / sauce mixture in. Then, top lovingly with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Coat that thing in cheese. Just put ALL THE CHEESE on the top. 🙂 hehehe can you tell I love cheese?

Then, bake in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and beginning to brown a little on top. 🙂

Serve with veggies and garlic bread and enjoy!

Will you try this recipe? What’s YOUR idea of comfort food?
[printme]