May 1-Creamy Chicken Fettuccine Bake

Since moving into our new home, I've become much more diligent in meal planning. Every weekend I sit down to devise some sort of plan to keep us happy and fed, despite our hectic schedules and my commute. I'm not sure what I did before discovering the recipe treasure-trove called Pinterest. I had pinned this amazing recipe, originally by A Dash of Sanity, a few weeks ago and rediscovered it as I browsed through my collection of Pinterest cooking inspirations. It looked appealing and seemed simple enough. This may sound silly, but what really won me over was the fact that the original blogger's children had given it a raving review. Kids don't lie...It had to be good.

This dish met my expectations. It was good. I mean really, really good.

Creamy Chicken Fettuccine Bake

1/2lb cooked fettuccine, drained

6 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1 can (14.5oz) chicken broth

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/2 cup grated parmesan (I used an Italian cheese blend, which used four additional cheeses)

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded

1/2 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and cut into strips

2 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled (I skipped this step for convenience, but it would've been a great addition)

3 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese for topping

1. Heat oven to 350. Spray baking dish (oval or 8x8) with cooking spray. Cook pasta as directed and drain.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in  half-and-half and 1/2 cup grated cheese. Stir in chicken, tomatoes and bacon.
3. Combine pasta with chicken mixture, tossing gently. Spoon into baking dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until hot in the center.
4. Enjoy!