Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Pasta

The first recipe of the year is a pretty simple one using Penne pasta in the crockpot. Penne is a type of pasta with cylinder-shaped pieces.  Add a lettuce salad s & bread and you have an awesome Italian dinner.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
1 pound penne
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker.
2. In a large bowl, combine crushed tomatoes, onion, basil, oregano, parsley and red pepper flakes, if using. Stir into the slow cooker and gently toss to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours.
3. Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred, using two forks.
4. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
5. Stir pasta and chicken into the slow cooker; top with cheeses. Cover and cook on low heat for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until the cheeses have melted.
6. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

We took a picture of the chicken and sauce after it cooked all day.  The house was filled with the scent of Italian seasonings. The taste was delicious and full of flavor.  We made 1/2 the recipe and plenty leftovers for the two of us.  Also, the leftovers heated up well. This recipe is a KEEPER IN OUR HOUSE!

Where did we find it?   https://damndelicious.net