A traditional caprese salad consist of 3 main ingredients. Fresh mozzarella, tomato and fresh basil. Then it’s usually drizzled with olive oil and sometimes will have a drizzle of some type of oil as well. In the recipe below we put a little twist on the classic recipe and turn into a delicious casserole.
We start off by mixing together softened cream cheese, milk and garlic. This will be the base of our sauce. Next we fold in all the good stuff, chopped artichokes, shredded mozzarella, grated parmesan, sun dried tomatoes, chicken and fresh basil. The sun dried tomatoes add such depth to this recipe and pairs so well with cream cheese and basil. We toss all that with cooked shredded chicken and penne pasta then top it all off with slices of fresh mozzarella. I love serving this with a warm piece of garlic bread to dip into all the sauce and my family loves it.
INGRIDIENTS:
12oz cream cheese softened
1 cup milk
6 cloves garlic minced
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and rough chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
3 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 bunch fresh basil finely chopped
8 oz cooked penne pasta
2 packs fresh mozzarella sliced
Preheat oven to 375° F
In a large bowl use a hand mixture or whisk to bring together cream cheese, milk and garlic.
Then mix in artichokes, shredded mozzarella, parmesan, sun dried tomatoes, chicken and half the basil.
Fold in the penne pasta then pour into a baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining basil then evenly lay fresh slices of mozzarella on top.
Bake in oven for 25-35 minutes until top is golden brown and bubbly and everything has heated through.
Serve with salad or bread.
