Tuscan Pasta {Freezer Meal}
Tuscan Pasta {Freezer Meal}
Credit for this creamy freezer pasta dish goes to sixsistersstuff.com. Six Sister's Stuff says it takes about 20 minutes to put together, but it took me a little longer for the cream sauce to become a decent consistency. Nonetheless, the pasta dish smells and looks wonderful!
I used shredded canned chicken to save on cooking time. A vegetarian version could definitely be possible by omitting the chicken. As I was creating the dish, I felt that capers, olives, or mushrooms would provide additional and complementary flavors.
I used shredded canned chicken to save on cooking time. A vegetarian version could definitely be possible by omitting the chicken. As I was creating the dish, I felt that capers, olives, or mushrooms would provide additional and complementary flavors.
Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta of choice bowtie suggested
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1/2 tbsp dried basil
- 8 oz cream cheese (cut into cubes)
- 8 oz sundried tomatoes (rinsed, drained, and chopped)
- 2 cups milk
- 8 oz parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup chicken (cooked and cubed)
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to package instructions, and make sauce (below) as pasta cooks.
- Melt butter in medium-sized pot.
- Once butter is melted, add garlic and basil. Let simmer for about two minutes.
- Stir in cream cheese, and whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Add sun-dried tomatoes, then milk and whisk quickly and constantly until sauce ingredients are blended.
- Add Parmesan cheese, pepper, and salt. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce has reached a desired consistency.
- To freeze, spay freezer tin with non-stick spray. Pour pasta, sauce and chicken in dish, and stir. Let cool almost almost completely before covering with plastic wrap and lid.
- To cook when frozen, bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes or until heated through. Or, thaw overnight in refrigerator. Bake at 350°F until heated through (about 30 minutes).
- If serving right away, pour sauce over the pasta and add chicken. Mix sauce and chicken or leave on top.