Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

Mags...was going through my recipes I've gotten from the Food Network and have decided to start cooking! There are so many great recipes! This one is from Giada De Laurentis. Very easy and delicious! They didn't give any nutritional info, but that would be easy enough to figure out. Also, you'll notice by the size of my baking dish, I doubled the recipe. Reheated very nicely the next day. I don't think this would fall under "cooking light", but definitely falls into the "mmm mmm good" category. Soooooo, moderation is the key to this one....or not!

Ingredients:

. 1 Cup Pastina or Any Small Pasta (Used Pipette)

. 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

. 1/2 Cup Cubed Chicken Breast (1-Inch Cubes)

. 1/2 Cup Diced Onion (About 1/2 a Small Onion)

. 1 Clove Garlic, Minced

. 1 (14.5 Ounce) Can Diced Tomatoes With Juice

. 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella

. 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley

. 1/4 Teaspoon Kohser Salt

. 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

. 1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs (Used Italian Breadcrumbs)

. 1/4 Grated Parmesan

. 1 Tablespoon Butter, Plus More For Buttering The Baking Dish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occassionally, about 5 minutes (use the directions of the pasta you use). Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8x8x2 baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Servings: 4

Note: Next time I plan to use another can of tomatoes....let me know what you think!