Foodie Friday - Alfredo Chicken Pasta Bake

Happy Friday everyone!  I'm still chilly here in the deep south, but the weekend promises to warm up a little so we're all bundled up and patiently waiting on that.  In the meantime the hubby had come in off the road last night and I threw together a quick pasta bake with chicken and broccoli and stuff I had in my cupboards.  It doesn't take too much prep and you could certainly do some of the steps ahead of time.  This makes use of some prepackaged ingredients so it's semi-homemade like a Sandra Lee recipe.  Hope you enjoy and stay warm!

Alfredo Chicken Pasta Bake

16 oz Linguine 
2 cups of diced boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders
1/2 teaspoon each salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning
2 1.6 oz packages of Alfredo Sauce mix  (you could definitely use a jar of prepared sauce but I was using what I had on hand)
1 12 oz bag of steam in the bag frozen broccoli florets 
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 

Preheat oven to 375

Cook the linguine until al dente, you want it to have just a little bite so it doesn't cook into mush while baking.  While the pasta boils cook the broccoli in the microwave per the package directions.  

While the pasta and the broccoli cook season the chicken with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning and saute in a pan with about a tablespoon of olive oil until done.  Remove from the pan and set aside.  

In the pan where you cooked the chicken make up the alfredo sauce per the package directions, or pour in the jarred sauce and heat through.  

As the sauce cooks, take a 9x13 pan and spray with nonstick spray.  

Once the sauce is done in a large bowl combine the cooked pasta, chicken, broccoli, and alfredo sauce, I simply use the boiler I used to cook the pasta.  Once combined pour into the prepared 9x13 pan, sprinkle with cheese, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the entire thing is hot and bubbly.  Serve with toasted french bread and a salad.  

Enjoy!