Poor Man's Pasta

There are those times when you do NOT want to go the grocery store, or you know you shouldn't go out for dinner and are forced to use things from your cupboard to make up a meal. This was the situation Nick and I were faced with when I created tonight's new dinner. Nick was in the mood for "chicken enchilada casserole", or "cheesy chicken"...both of which we have never had. "I will see what I can do," I replied.

First things first...I had to defrost some chicken breasts. Next find some pasta. We have had an overabundance of pasta for months...so I haven't bought any for a while...a mistake that would add character to the pasta...Our options for pasta were: Orzo (rice-like noodles)...probably not the best choice. Classic spaghetti...better than the orzo yet not quite right...Classic Kraft Macaroni Noodles and the Special Pokemon(TM)edition in the cupboard...PERRRFECT! Next I had to make it cheesy and casserole-like....

Select the sauce ingredients: A jar of alfredo sauce, milk, butter, parm, salt, pepper...(A good start) ,"need more cheese"...select the unopened, unused Macaroni cheese packet- add to mixture. (Maybe it needs some flavor?) Add some French Onion mix to the "sauce". Now what? Add some green onions, and fresh garlic. (Looks good)...Cook chicken and add cooked pasta and chicken to "sauce". Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Top with fresh diced tomatoes and enjoy.

Enjoy we did... it turned out great. Nick said it tasted like Macaroni Grill. I agree that it tasted like meals I have paid good money for. We joked about having our own Food Network show featuring truly cheap dishes.