Chicken Parm Baked Pasta

I suppose starting a post at 10:00 at night isn't such a great idea. I'm tired and uncreative, and have a bit of writer's block, so this post won't be long.

Or clever.

Or amusing.

Sunday I was busy most of my day with grocery shopping, baking, cooking and cleaning. Yesterday I had an MCAS conference (snooze) and then basketball games in the afternoon with my cheer time. That was followed by a Pop Warner meeting until 10pm. Today was school, basketball games, and my end of season banquet with my Pop Warner cheer team. Even though it was only one month and 4 days ago that they won Nationals, it feels like forever ago. Maybe the holidays and starting things up with my winter cheer team kept me so busy that time is just flying by.

When we have basketball game days I don't get home until 6:30 or so. I don't really want to cook a full meal at that point, so the past couple of days I relied on leftovers or tonight was my banquet dinner. This recipe was simple to make, with a few preparations ahead of time, and was great for leftovers for Dan and I. I recommend cooking the chicken ahead of time, it saves time when you want to throw this dish together.

Chicken Parm Baked Pasta
1 (28 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tbsp. olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups water
1.5 cups chicken broth, divided
12 oz. pasta
1 cup grated parmesan, divided
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and cut into cubes
2 tsp. chopped basil

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a small food processor, add the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, red pepper and salt and pulse a few times until tomatoes are chopped well.
3. Set an oven-safe 12-inch skillet over medium-high eat and heat oil. Add the tomato mix, water, chicken broth, and pasta. Mix and bring to a vigorous simmer. Turn down heat a little and cover, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 13 minutes.
4. Stir in half of the parmesan cheese, black pepper and chicken. If it seems thick, add the 1/2 cup of chicken broth, a little at a time until you get your desired consistency.
5. Cover with mozzarella cheese and the remaining parmesan and bake for 5 minutes or so until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbly. Sprinkle with basil and serve.