Italian Chicken Pasta Bake

Recently I was at Fry's Grocery Store and this lovely lady offered me a sample of this dish.  It was so delicious.  I have been dying to make it ever since and I finally did.  Jason's taste buds were just as pleased as mine.  I would love to hear how you like it, so if you make it please let me know!  Here's the recipe...

Italian Chicken Pasta Bake 

(Recipe courtesy of Fry's / Kroger Grocery Store) 

Serves: 4 - 6

Ingredients:

- Cooking  Spray
- ¼ cup Frozen Chopped Onion
- 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
- 8 oz White Sliced Mushrooms
- 2 small Zucchini, diced
- 2 - 14.5 oz cans Crushed Tomatoes
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- ½ tsp Sugar
- 1  Slow Roasted Rotisserie Chicken, deboned and broken into chunks
- 8 oz pkg Finely Shredded Italian Cheese Blend, divided
- 9 oz pkg Kroger® Wholesome @ Home Chicken & Bacon Borsetti Fresh Pasta, uncooked 

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400°F.  Spray 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray.
2) Heat large skillet over medium-high heat and spray bottom with cooking spray.  Add onion and garlic and sauté 1 minute. 
3) Add mushrooms and zucchini and sauté for 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and sugar. Stir to combine.
4) Remove from heat, add chicken and1 cup Italian cheese. Stir to combine.
5) Spread uncooked borsetti pasta evenly in bottom of baking dish.  Top with chicken and vegetable mixture, making sure all pasta is covered.  Sprinkle remaining cheese over top.
6) Bake uncovered for 20 minutes on center oven rack, until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

  These photos don’t really do it justice.  Oh, and that looks like grease but it’s not, it’s tomato sauce.

 Trust me, it is super good and tastes much better than these photos look.  Sorry for the crappy photos, but I was tired and ready to EAT!! J

Oh, and real quick let me add my two cents about Idol.

I was Gaga over Idol tonight!

Lady Gaga was the mentor and was her normal crazy-self, but she had good advice for them and tried to bring the drama.

I really enjoyed all the performances… with the exception of Scotty’s second song.

Haley is the comeback queen.  That girl sang her face off tonight!  She needs to get pissed off and fired up every night before she comes out to sing!  I really enjoy her when she slays it like that.  She is super talented.

Lauren is so good.  She has had consistently great vocals in my opinion.  She was very confident tonight and I liked it.  There is a spot in my heart for this girl.

James is unpredictable.  I enjoy the fact that I never know what he is going to do… kick the mic stand over, light the piano on fire, or be elevated on a platform that comes out of the stage.  Never a dull moment with this one.

Scotty, sorry babe, but you are my pick to go home.

Gaga is set to perform tomorrow night!  Can’t wait!!