Things can get very hectic on a typical weeknight, making it difficult to get a decent dinner on the table. Add in some picky kids and it’s easy to resort to a box of macaroni and cheese each night! My girls love this chicken alfredo chicken pasta casserole. It doesn’t take much time, and is semi-homemade! It can be customized easy to suit your own family’s tastes as well.
Semi-Homemade
When making this dish, I usually resort to using a lot of my pantry staples that are always in the house. A bag of frozen peas and carrots, a container of refrigerated alfredo sauce from the store, precooked chicken strips… they’re all huge time savers for this weeknight meal. Of course you can substitute in any homemade options you prefer as well.
To Bake or Not To Bake?
When making this dish, I change up a lot of things depending on what is going on that night. If my girls are impatient for dinner and time is short, I’ll use angel hair pasta instead and just toss the ingredients into the pasta. If I’m baking the pasta I will usually cook the pasta for the bare minimum mentioned on the box, I theorize that the baking further softens the pasta and I don’t like eating mush. If more adults will be eating the pasta I often will add in 1 clove of minced garlic for added flavor, which my girls will still eat but not as enthusiastically.
About Prosciutto
In my recipe I include diced prosciutto, which adds a lot of added flavor. I buy it at a local grocery store, it’s actually right next to the hot dogs in a little sealed package of two compartments, each about 2 ounces. I leave it in the freezer and pull out 2 ounces as needed. I just empty the frozen prosciutto into the pan, it defrosts quickly and then cooks. If you don’t have diced prosciutto available near you, you can substitute sliced prosciutto or pancetta from your deli. I cut it into small ribbons with a pair of kitchen scissors before cooking.
A semi-homemade quick weeknight dinner option! This alfredo chicken pasta bake uses pantry basics for a crowd pleasing favorite.
- 1 cup Chicken precooked
- 1 package Alfredo Sauce
- 2 ounces Prosciutto diced
- 1 pound Rotini Pasta
- 1 bag Peas and Carrots frozen
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese shredded
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Cut the chicken into bite size pieces, brown with the prosciutto in a 12 inch pan, about 4-5 minutes. If desired, add 1 clove of garlic, minced.
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While browning the meats, boil water and cook the pasta according to the directions. If baking, cook for al dente pasta.
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When I am mixing the pasta together to eat right away I put the frozen peas and carrots into the pasta for the last 3 minutes of cooking. If I am baking the pasta, I simply mix in the veggies frozen. They'll cook as the pasta browns.
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When baking, I mix everything together in a baking dish and then sprinkle mozzarella on top. Bake at 350° until browned, approximately 30 minutes.
Because this is cooking at home and not in a factory, there might be some variation between how I prepare this recipe and what you create at home. As such, all nutritional information are estimates and may vary. If you like this recipe or find it useful, you can rate it by clicking on the stars above. A 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated!
Love this!! I am a grandma with a picky husband, kids, and grandkids!! (My husband only eats corn and green beans, too. I can relate.) I have learned so much from 101 Cooking for Two. Looking forward to trying your recipes, too! Passed it on to my daughter-in-law. Thank you!
Thanks so much Susan!! I hope there are some recipes and ideas that come up here that help you out.
Is there a brand of alfredo sauce you recommend? I’ve tried the bottled stuff that’s in the pasta section and it’s awful. If there’s something better, I’d love to know about it. Good luck with your blog.
I agree, I don’t like the ones in jars! In the refrigerator section you should be able to find alfredo sauce next to the fresh pastas. I use the Buitoni Alfredo sauce, it’s in a little green plastic container.