Italian Baked Chicken with Pastina

I hit the jackpot at the grocery store the other day. Barilla's Pastina was on sale for $.39 cents a box. We all know that pasta isn't expensive, but $.39 cents a box? That's just a steal!

I love a good deal about as much as I love pasta, so you can imagine what I did to their display. I emptied it. Yep! I pretty much took every box that was within my reach. You know what I was thinking? YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH PASTA!

When my husband carried in the groceries he noticed several grocery bags filled with little blue boxes. Curiously he emptied the bags and lined up the little blue boxes on the counter. Fourteen boxes of pastina sat there staring up at him. It was at that moment when I wondered if I had went a little overboard. What do you think? How many boxes would you have bought?

Needless to say, we've been eating and enjoying lots of pastina. I'm actually really happy that I bought so many boxes because they've been great to have on hand. The little stars are so cute, the kids love them, and they cook in about 4-5 minutes. They are perfect for busy weeknight meals. In fact, we've enjoyed them so much that I chose to use them for this week's I Heart Cooking Clubs theme, which is Served Family Style.
Italian Baked Chicken with Pastina
by Giada De Laurentiis, recipe found on Food Network
* 1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
* 1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
* 1 cup shredded mozzarella
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/4 cup bread crumbs
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
* 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Notes/Results: This is one of those kid-friendly meals that the whole family will enjoy. We all loved the crispy and buttery topping made from breadcrumbs, Parmesan and butter. I also think this recipe lends itself well to adaptations. Next time, I'd like to sneak in more veggies!

Currently cooking the recipes of Giada De Laurentiis!