Rigatoni Red with Chicken and Mushrooms

In preparation for my departure, I have been making Frank a lot of food; so while I am gone, he is still well feed.  I made my Simple Tomato Sauce.  With that he is able to heat up some pasta and have some sort of pasta dish for dinner or lunch.  I am also going to make lasagna since that is something he can easily heat up.

Yesterday evening, I made Rigatoni Red with Chicken and Mushrooms using the Simple Tomato Sauce I made the other day. The sauce has multiple uses,  it goes a long way and you can even freeze it for later use. I used diced tomatoes this time around (either crushed or diced, even fresh tomatoes works). Usually, when I make Rigatoni, I use a white sauce similar to the Rigatoni D from Maggiano's. I decided to change it up a bit today.

Rigatoni Red with Chicken and Mushrooms Print

Yields: 4 -5 servings

Ingredients:

½ package of Rigatoni Pasta

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

6 mushrooms, sliced

2 chicken breasts

Salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

2 cups Simple Tomato Sauce

¼ cup half and half

Parmesan cheese for topping

Parsley for topping

Directions:

1. Portion 2 chicken breasts into 4-6 pieces.  Season one side liberally with salt and pepper.

2. Boil water and season with olive oil and salt.  Cook rigatoni until al dente, usually 9-10 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  

3. While pasta is cooking, heat up a large pan or a wok with oil on high heat.  Cook chicken for 3 minutes on each side.  Once cooked, remove from pan.  Add mushrooms to wok and sauté for 2 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside.  

4. Add tomato sauce to wok and heat on medium for 10 minutes or until it starts to simmer.  Then add ¼ cup of half and half (or heavy cream).  Let simmer for another 5 minutes on medium heat.

5. Slice the chicken breast and add chicken and mushroom into the pan along with the cooked rigatoni.  Stir together and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.  Serve with Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Enjoy!!!