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.

Keyword chicken, freezer meal, pasta

Servings 8

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.