Chicken Rigatoni Alfredo

Video below on how to make this big RIG pasta

It is crazy to believe that we are in the last month of 2023! Generally this time of year, between Thanksgiving and the end of the year, given all the various holiday gatherings and events throughout the month, I try to really reign it in with food, maybe eat a little lighter for a week or two after Thanksgiving, but, you know what? Not this year. Nope. I am going all in this last month, and in support of that, I am super happy to share this simple and delicious comfort food, a 5 ingredient chicken rigatoni alfredo.

 Ingredients/Recipe:

• 12 oz of rigatoni pasta (3 1/2 C dry)

• 30 oz (2 jars) alfredo sauce (not quite 2 full jars)

• 2 1/4 C chicken broth

• 2 medium sized chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

• 2 C of shredded mozzarella

• Mushrooms (optional)

• Salt and pepper to taste

 Putting it Together:

Place alfredo sauce through chicken from the list above (and mushrooms if adding them), as well as some salt and pepper to taste, into the slow cooker, give it a good stir, and then place it on HIGH for 1 hour and 30-45 minutes. After this, add in the shredded mozz until it is all melted nicely. Then you can move to warm for about 10 minutes to allow all the goodness to soak up. Keep an eye on the pasta to ensure it does not overcook, based on the heat of your slow cooker, times may vary slightly.

 Serving

We ate this with a side salad and (shocker) crusty bread. And if you are really feeling like getting out of control, throw some grated parmesan on top, with some fresh cracked pepper.

 Load of Crock Tip(s):

• Pasta can be tricky in the slow cooker, so just keep your eye on it to ensure it does not get too mushy. But it's totally worth the watch to be able to do these one pot meals. I checked this dish between an hour and a half and an hour and 45 minutes, and the rigatoni was cooked, but still had some toughness to it, so that was when I added the cheese and put back on low. It turned out great!

• An excellent leftover. I will say it again. Excellent. Leftover.

• Go for the mushroom addition, its totally worth it!

• No matter the recipe, I do recommend always cooking uncooked pasta on high in the slow cooker.

And there you have it. The perfect and most simple comfort dish, especially for those of us that have no intentions of reigning it in between the holidays, and just letting our food and drink buffet roll right through the end of the year!