I said I love cheese and pasta right?! This dish is perfect for pasta lovers and is a great way to sneak in some protein. Protein is something I’ve always struggled getting in. I’m not much of a meat eater. In fact, I typically only each white meat and fish! This dish took a bit more time and effort but I have leftovers available now for the next week! Again, I prepped my meat the night before to save time after work.

Ingredients:

12 oz of pasta

2 cups of chicken (cooked and shredded)

1 cup parmesan

2 cups mozzarella

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp pepper

25 oz of your favorite pasta sauce

2 cloves garlic (I forgot to buy these so I used garlic powder)

1 cup of basil, chopped

How To:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Cook the pasta until tender and then drain back into your pot. Add in the shredded chicken and tomato sauce. Also add half of your basil, salt, garlic, and pepper. Make sure to mix these all well so you have an even distribution throughout.

Pour half of this mixture into a casserole dish. This way you can add a cup of mozzarella and have cheeziness throughout your dish. Then, add in the remaining pasta and cheese to your casserole dish.

Bake your dish uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes. If you’d like, add the remaining basil before serving. Enjoy!

As a side dish, I roasted 3 zucchini and 2 yellow squash to have along side my pasta bake all week. I sprinkled some mozzarella on top and roasted wits the pasta in a separate casserole dish at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Nutrition:

Serving Size: 1/8 of the dish

Per Serving: Calories: 488, Fat: 14.6(g), Carbs: 51.7(g), Protein: 40.6(g)