Tuscan Pasta Recipe
Our family-friendly Tuscan pasta takes 20 minutes to prepare with creamy, cheesy garlic sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, and grilled chicken.
Serving8 servings
Ingredients
- 16 ounces bow tie pasta, 1 box
- 4 Tablespoon butter
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
- ½ Tablespoon dried basil
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into small cubes
- 8 ounces sun dried tomatoes, 1 jar, rinsed, drained and chopped
- 2 cups milk
- 8 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt, more to taste if needed
- 1 cup chicken, cooked and cubed
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. While it's cooking, prepare the sauce.
- In a medium pot or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring the whole time. Stir in the dried basil. Add the cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. It will look curdled at first, but with constant whisking for 2-3 minutes, it will become a smooth creamy paste. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes.
- Keep cooking over medium heat and add the milk and whisk quickly and constantly until it is blended into the sauce. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, pepper and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is the desired consistency, 5-10 minutes.
- Serve over hot, cooked noodles. I put my chicken on top, or you can mix it in.
Notes
When making them into freezer meals - put the noodles, sauce and chicken into two 9x9 foil tins. Wait until it cools down a little, place foil on top, and stick in the freezer. To cook when frozen: Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until heated through. To cook when frozen but then thawed: Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through.
Nutrition
Calories: 597 kcal · Carbohydrates: 64 g · Protein: 27 g · Fat: 27 g · Saturated Fat: 15 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 77 mg · Sodium: 845 mg · Potassium: 1272 mg · Fiber: 5 g · Sugar: 16 g · Vitamin A: 1136 IU · Vitamin C: 12 mg · Calcium: 487 mg · Iron: 4 mg