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Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

Yield: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pastina pasta, or any small pasta – I used cellantani
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ cup cubed chicken breast, 1-inch cubes
  • ½ 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
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Instructions 

  • 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 occasionally, about 5 minutes. 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 8 by 8 by 2-inch 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.