Cooking Thursday

This is one more of my turkey freezer meals. This one was very good.  I love sun dried tomatoes and it had a nice creamy sauce.  Of course adding cream cheese and parmesan cheese makes most anything good, right?

Tuscan Pasta

1 (16 ounce) box bow tie pasta
4 Tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic (finely minced or pressed through a garlic press)
1/2 Tablespoon dried basil
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (softened and cut into small cubes)
1 (8 ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes (rinsed, drained and chopped)
2 cups milk
8 ounces Parmesan cheese (grated)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste if needed)
2 cups chicken (cooked and cubed)

Cook pasta according to package directions. While it's cooking, prepare the sauce.
In a medium pot or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring the whole time. Stir in the dried basil.
Add the cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. It will look curdled at first, but with constant whisking for 2-3 minutes, it will become a smooth creamy paste.
Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes.
Keep cooking over medium heat and add the milk and whisk quickly and constantly until it is blended into the sauce.
Stir in the Parmesan cheese, pepper and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is the desired consistency, 5-10 minutes. Stir chicken into mix.
Serve over hot, cooked noodles.

*When making them into freezer meals - put the noodles, sauce and chicken into two 9x9 foil tins. Wait until it cools down a little, place foil on top, and stick in the freezer. To cook when frozen: Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until heated through. To cook when frozen but then thawed: Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through.