Jalapeno Popper Pasta Bake

Smoky bacon, spicy jalapeños, and cream cheese baked together with zesty tomatoes, chicken and pasta for a main dish with all of the flavors of jalapeño poppers.

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

Pam® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
8 ounces dry Cellentani pasta, uncooked
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound bacon, cut into bite size pieces
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, sliced
2 green onions, sliced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 (10 ounce) can Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
1 cup chicken stock or water
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.
Stir together breadcrumbs and butter in small bowl, set aside.
Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving about 1 tablespoon bacon fat in the pan. Add chicken to skillet and season with black pepper. Cook until browned and no longer pink in center, about 5 minutes.
Stir in jalapeno, green onion and flour; cook for 1 minute. Stir in undrained tomatoes and chicken stock; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in cream cheese and 1 cup Cheddar cheese until melted and combined.
Stir in cooked pasta and half of the cooked bacon. Pour into baking dish. Top with remaining 1 cup Cheddar cheese, bacon and bread crumb mixture.
Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

If you like it hot, try Ro*Tel® Hot Diced Tomatoes with Habenero Chiles. If you like it scorching hot, leave the seeds in the jalapeño

Nutrition

Per serving: 497 calories, 30g Carbs

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: Conagra Brands, Inc.