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By Ellen Cawood

I had a conversation this past week with some coworkers who said they would love to see an easy dish with ingredients they likely have in their cabinet. So, I set out to find something to fit the bill.

The first place I looked was my own refrigerator and pantry to see what I commonly kept. Then I turned to various sources for a new recipe idea. Finally, I decided that one of my favorite bloggers, Half Baked Harvest, had a great idea worth making my own and sharing.

Ingredients

• 1 box of pasta of your choice
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 yellow onion chopped
• 1 bell pepper of each color
• 1 package of cherry tomatoes
• ½ cup of milk
• ¾ cup chicken broth
• 1 package of cream cheese
• minced garlic
• salt
• pepper
• Cajun seasoning to taste

Instructions

1. Begin preparing your vegetables by washing and chopping the peppers and onion into very small pieces. Add all veggies, minced garlic, some olive oil and a pinch of salt to a large pot and sauté 2 minutes until tender over medium heat.
2. Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Season with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice mix and add to the pot with the vegetables. Cook until browned.
3. Add the chicken broth, milk, cream cheese, salt, pepper and a dash more of Cajun seasoning to the vegetable pot. Let this come to a boil to melt the cream cheese. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes to thicken up.
4. While the sauce is thickening, boil the noodles of your choice according to the package directions. Drain noodles and add them directly to the sauce pot once they are cooked. Mix together thoroughly and enjoy!
5. To make this healthier, choose a vegetable-based pasta and reduced fat cream cheese. I topped with chopped parsley for a nice bright garnish.