Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Creamy Italian Pasta with Chicken- OAMC (Meal in a Bag)

I love the convenience of those skillet meals-in-a-bag (think Skillet Sensations or Bertolli meals) but hate the sodium content...and the price!! Well, make your own! Easy, simple, and all set for a quick, homemade meal!


Ingredients:
1 box whole grain linguini
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boiled and cubed.
red, green, yellow peppers (already sliced and frozen)
1C. tomato sauce
1/2 C. ricotta cheese
1/4 C. half and half


Directions:
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Toss with a little EVOO. Set aside to cool.
Mix tomato sauce, ricotta cheese and half and half in pot and bring to boil. Set aside to cool.
Place cooked, cubed chicken in freezer bag and freeze.
When Sauce mixture is cooled, pour into ice cube tray and freeze.

When pasta is cooled, gather a forkfull of noodles and twirl them into little "nests" on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Place in freezer. (these don't take too long to freeze).


When noodles and sauce are frozen, place all contents into freezer bag. (Pasta nests, sauce cubes, frozen cubed chicken, and frozen pepper slices.)

Preparation:
When you are ready to cook, pour the contents of bag into a skillet over medium heat. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Stir and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until sauce is melted and everything is heated through. About 5-10mins.

These also make wonderful gifts for giving to a new mom, homebound seniors, or anyone just needing a break from cooking!!

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