Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta

Tried a new recipe last night for dinner using the remaining leftover chicken from the roaster I made late last week - a light pasta in a "cream" sauce. I thought I would share the recipe because it was scrumptious and Christopher gave his thumbs up to it! Note - I used unsweetened almond milk instead of a cream. You can substitute what you like here and with most of the other ingredients. 

Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta

Serves 4

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small jar sun-dried tomatoes, sliced into smaller pieces

1 lb cooked chicken, diced or shredded

salt

paprika

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 cup shredded mozzarella

8 oz penne pasta

1 tbsp dry basil

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

In a large pan on high heat, saute garlic and sun-dried tomatoes for about 1 minute. Add in the cooked chicken, lightly salted and add a little bit of paprika (or a lot depending on your taste). Add the almond milk and mozzarella and lower heat to a simmer. Stir the sauce to ensure all of the cheese and ingredients have melted and blended. 

Cook pasta according to the pasta instructions. (Side note: I reserve a little bit of the pasta water in the event the sauce becomes too thick and needs to be thinned). Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and stir to combine. Add 1 tbsp of basil and the red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. At this point, if the sauce is too thick, add a little bit of the reserved pasta water. Just a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Simmer for a couple of minutes to let the flavors combine and enjoy!