Tasty Thursday - 10/11

I have fallen in love with the Progresso Recipe Starters (like you couldn't tell...this being my third post about it) and I wanted to share with you my latest creation...this time using the Creamy Parmesan Basil sauce.  I got the recipe from their website and gathered my ingredients.  I didn't use their ingredients exactly as stated because I pre-cook and shred chickens I cook in the crock pot and I make my own beans and freeze them after cooking.

• Ingredients

  • 2 2/3 cups uncooked penne pasta (8 oz)
  • 2 cups chopped deli rotisserie chicken
  • 1 can (19 oz) Progresso® cannellini beans or other canned white beans, drained, rinsed
  • 1 can (18 oz) Progresso™ Recipe Starters™ creamy Parmesan basil cooking sauce
  • 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup diced tomato
  • 1/4 cup Progresso® Italian style panko crispy bread crumbs

• Directions

  1. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Heat oven to 375°F.
  2. In ungreased 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish, place pasta, chicken and beans. In small bowl, mix cooking sauce, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour over top of pasta, chicken and beans.
  3. Cover with foil. Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil; top with tomato and bread crumbs. Bake uncovered 5 to 8 minutes or until top just starts to brown and mixture is bubbly.

Here's the final product (yep, a serving is missing out of it because I couldn't stop the kids quick enough before I grabbed the camera).

This was a great dish, but I recommend the following changes:

• This needed a lot of salt....could be because I chose to use beans that weren't canned.
• It didn't have a lot of zing to it, so next time I make it, I'll add some red pepper flakes to the sauce.

How about you.....have you tried any of their Recipe Starters yet, and if so....did you use one of their recipes or make one of your own?