It’s 5 O’clock and you have forgotten all about dinner. The kids are hungry, and you don’t want to buy takeout! What do you do?? What does your stockpile look like? Do you have pasta and Chicken Nuggets? Then you have the makings of a meal. Baked Chicken Pasta Parmesan!
This is inspired by a restaurant meal I once had. I ordered this Chicken Pasta Parmesan and was so surprised when it came out. It was delicious, but it was just ziti pasta in a bowl with some chicken tenders cut up and cheese melted over the top! I paid $7.75 for something that I could make for pennies! I guess that is the price we pay for convenience.
Almost every ingredient need for this recipe is on sale this week. I will feature the price of the ingredients after the recipe. I do make my own chicken nuggets at my house because of my children’s food allergies.
If you too have allergies you could also buy Gluten Free pasta if you have to eliminate that from your diet. I can’t help you on the cheese. I have looked and looked for a delicious dairy free alternative to cheese and haven’t found one. I have been looking for years. So, if anybody knows of one…my ears are open!
OK…I will stop blabbing and just feed you already! 
Baked Chicken Pasta Parmesan
Baked Chicken Pasta Parmesan Printable Version
- 1 dozen Chicken Nuggets
- 1 pkg pasta your choice
- 1 jar of sauce
- 1 pkg shredded mozzarella cheese
- Shaky Cheese ~ Parmesan~ (optional)
- Optional ingredients (Mushrooms, Pepperoni, Onions, Peppers)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare Pasta as directed on package.
In a casserole dish layer cooked pasta, sauce, and nuggets. You can also add any of the optional ingredients above.
Do this a second time topping with the shredded mozzarella.
Bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve with bread and a side salad!
Meal Deal
Here is where you find the cost breakdown! What if I told you you could feed a family of 4 this delicious meal for less than it cost me for 1 serving at that cute little restaurant. Oh, and stock your pantry at the same time! Crazy?? I think not. Just wait!
I big thanks goes to Michelle at I Heart Publix! She posts the sale with coupon matchups weekly! Go Here to see this weeks current Publix sale!
These prices are for the current week at Publix. You could make this meal cheaper from items in your stockpile or items on sale at another store. This is just the price if you went to Publix today to buy what you need, and then some!
Buy
(2) Fast Fixin’ Chicken Breast Nuggets – or Tenders, Popcorn Chicken, or Chicken Fries – 23 or 26 oz pkg. – BOGO $5.99
Use
(2) -$1/1 Fast Fixin’ Item, Any (Publix Coupon) – Healthy Meals. Healthy Kids (exp 3/20)
And
(2) -$1/1 PRINT
Making in just $1.99 for 2 bags
Buy
(2) Prego Italian Sauce – or Meat Sauce, Assorted Varieties, 23.5 or 24 oz jar – BOGO $2.69 ($2.07 Atlanta)
Use
(1)-$.50/2; $1/1 Prego Heart Smart Italian Sauce, any two – 02-07-10 SS
Making it $2.19 for 2 jars. Less in Atlanta
Buy
(6) Mueller’s Pasta – Assorted Varieties, 12 or 16oz box or 100% All Natural Whole Wheat Pasta, 13.25 oz box (Excluding Lasagna, Jumbo Shells, and Noodles) – BOGO $1.39
Use
(2) -$1/3 PRINT
Making it $2.17 for 6 boxes of pasta or $0.36/ea!
Buy
(1) Sargento Shredded Cheese – or Sunburst, Assorted Varieties, 5 to 8 oz pkg.– 2/$4
Use
(1) -$.50/1 Sargento Natural Cheese Snacks, Any 5 Oz. + – 01-03-10 SS – 03-03-10 SS
making it $1.50
Grand total this week $7.85
Divide by 4
$1.96 per person!
Plus..
- 5 extra boxes of pasta
- 1 extra bag of chicken nuggets
- 1 extra jar of sauce
Here is a new feature! Let me know what you think.
Printable Grocery List for Baked Chicken Pasta Parmesan
You will have enough groceries to make this meal again, or put together a different yummy creation! All for less than it cost for my original inspirational bowl of pasta! Amazing!
Want to see more of my Weekly Meal Deals? Just go here to see a list of past meal deals!
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This looks so easy and so good! I am definitely going to try this out!
Greta´s last blog ..Food World Weekly Ad 3/17-3/23
Will definitely try also. I have exactly all of those in my freezer and pantry.
Oh man … I hope no one throws anything else in the garbage at home … just tossed the rest of my booklets with the publix coupons in there … was NOT thinking that I would be buying the fast fixin stuff …. didn’t put 2 and 2 together to get 4 coupons for $1.99 final price. Thank you Amanda! I’m taking the chicken piccatta off and putting this in place!
Yum Yum! I think this will be dinner tomorrow night! Yay for a new meal.
Here’s a similar meal, taken from a Kraft magazine years ago that even my picky family loves:
Make spaghetti. Make a box of mac and cheese. In a casserole dish, layer spaghetti, then mac&cheese, then half a can of cream of {whatever kind you like, I use celery}. Then another layer of spaghetti, another layer of mac, then top with shredded mozzerella. Bake 25 min on 350.
What I normally do is make more spaghetti than I need when we’re going to have regular spaghetti for dinner. Then, I put the extra sauce in the freezer. When we’re ready for this meal, I pull it out, which pretty much means I only have to cook the mac and cheese.
This was fantastic..and we are retired, so there’s a dinner and lunch to freeze!
thank you. Can’t wait to try more recipes.
This is really awesome thanks!
This looks really yummy! I was going to just do spaghetti this week, but I think I might try this.