This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Ronzoni, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #RonzoniSummer https://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV
I love cooking. I really do…but dinnertime is the biggest chore for me because my kids are SO picky! It’s a constant struggle to get them to eat anything healthy. When I find a healthy recipe they like, I pretty much do a dance of joy. I was a dancing maniac when I made this! My kids were eating vegetables and they didn’t even know it! I had to post this Bacon Chicken Penne Pasta Recipe on the blog for safe keeping.
I used Ronzoni Pasta for this recipe because my kids actually get a serving of vegetables with a 4 oz portion. My kids love pasta, naturally…so I love that I have a healthier option for them. I also use fresh tomatoes in the sauce. Since they’re simmered, the kids didn’t notice those either.
Bacon Chicken Penne Pasta
Ingredients
- CHICKEN
- 1 lb. chicen diced
- 2 slices center cut bacon
- 1 fresh tomato diced
- 1/4 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. dried basil
- 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- WHITE SAUCE
- 2 Tbs. butter
- 2 Tbs. flour
- 1 1/4 c. 2% milk
- 1 Tbs. mozzarella cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 package Ronzoni Tri-Color Penne Pasta
Instructions
- Cook Ronzoni Penne Pasta according to package instructions.
- Heat a non-stick pan to medium high heat.
- Cut up bacon and once the pan is hot, add the bacon to the pan.
- Cook until bits are crispy. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
- Add chicken to the pan (leave bacon grease in the pan), season with salt and pepper.
- Cook chicken until no longer pink in the center.
- Add diced tomato, spices and a little more salt and pepper to the chicken.
- Cook for about 2 minutes, then turn heat to low and let simmer.
- While that's cooking, melt butter in a small pan. Add flour, then let it cool for about a minute.
- Add milk and salt and pepper.
- Turn heat to medium high until milk starts to bubble, then turn the heat down to low. Cook for about 2 minutes until it thickens, then add cheese.
- Layer noodles on the bottom, then the chicken sauce, then bacon on top and serve.
You can find Ronzoni Tri Color Penne Pasta at Walmart, along with other great shapes and flavors while supplies last. You can find a $1 coupon for it in most newspapers on 6/28/15 and a $0.55 coupon for Walmart on 6/22/15. The offer expires 8/2/15. Follow Ronzoni on Facebook and Twitter to learn more!
The bacon is an added bonus. Since it’s center cut, it’s not as fatty, but it still gives this dish a ton of flavor. I love that this is a dish kids love, but “sophisticated” enough for adults to like it, too. It’s a rare occurance when those two things come together!
How do you get your kids to eat healthy? If I’m not sneaking it into entrees, I’m usually making smoothies…I’d love to hear your ideas!
Beth says
What type of cheese is in this recipe?
Erin says
Sorry about that! It’s Mozzarella and I fixed it in the recipe 🙂
Jessica says
I make my own noodles but I never thought to put vegetables into them! Instead of 2 eggs and flour I could do 1 egg and 1/4th cup of fresh spinach juice from my juicer or just 1/2 cup of spinach juice and omit the eggs completely. Looks like a delicious recipe. Thanks for the ideas!
Erin says
What a great idea!
Sherry says
I love this recipe! It was delicious and my children loved it, too…even the finicky 4 year old.
Erin says
Yay! Thanks for letting me know!