I participated in the Mom Blog Tour at the Summer Fancy Food Show on behalf of Wendy’s Bloggers and received Cento products to facilitate my review.

Pasta is a staple in our house. Growing up Italian, many of our dinners revolved around pasta, a big pot of gravy, and lots of food. It just comes second nature when planning our meals. One thing I change up is how easy these dinners are.

I don’t know about you but I don’t really have the time to stand in the kitchen and make Chicken Parmesan. But I can make a Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake!

One thing I don’t change up is the sauce and tomatoes I use. I grew up with Cento‘s yellow cans in our pantry. By habit, I just grab them when I am at the store. If Cento was good enough for my picky Italian grandmother, they are perfect for me!

This past June, I had the pleasure of meeting the people behind the Cento brand. They felt like family. I learned that the chefs that work for Cento come from the University de Nonna (Grandmother’s University). Sometimes you can’t classically learn how to make a great pot of Sunday gravy. It’s something that’s been ingrained in you from an early age. Recipes passed down from generation to generation. It also didn’t help that — like these mouthwatering cannolis that greeted us as we entered their booth.

Cento has a distinctive line of over 1,000 authentic Italian style products that is produced to their precise specifications and only with the finest ingredients available. Cento brand tomato products are 100% vine ripened tomatoes, picked fresh and packed immediately to preserve their authentic Italian taste. Cento’s line includes certified San Marzano Italian Plum Tomatoes. These certified San Marzano Italian Plum Tomatoes are the highest quality, and are incredibly flavorful.

New from Cento is their Organic Plum and Crushed tomatoes. While preserving the culinary heritage of old world authentic Italian style food products, Cento continues to stay abreast of the food industry’s rapid technological advances and has become the premier Italian food distributor, importer, and producer in the United States today.

Let’s get back to that Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake now that you know the secret ingredient.

Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake

This Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake is going to be a lifesaver once school starts. Our weeks are jam packed with activities and involve us driving here there and everywhere. This leaves me little time to get dinner ready.

You can pre-make this pasta bake and pop into the oven whenever you are ready to eat dinner. Even better, you can freeze it! Make a double batch and have another dinner ready to go for later in the month. Follow the directions and assemble your bake. Let cool and freeze. Pull your bake out the night before and let thaw in the refrigerator. Bake according to directions!

Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake

Ingredients

1 box of your favorite pasta
2 cups of Chicken, shredded
1 cup of Parmesan Cheese
2 cup of Mozzarella Cheese
Pinch of Salt
¼ tsp of pepper
1 can of Cento Crushed Tomatoes
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup of basil, diced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook pasta . Drain and place back into pot. Add chicken and tomato sauce along with basil, salt and pepper.
Mix well.
Pour half the pasta into the 9x13 casserole dish . Cover with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs. Cover with the remaining pasta.
Cover the pasta with the rest of the cheese ( parmesan cheese and mozzarella). Top with remaining breadcrumbs.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Garnish with basil and serve!

And not what you’ve been waiting for! But first, follow Cento for authentic Italian inspiration!

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Enter to win an Italian Fine Foods Prize Pack from Cento so you can make this Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake! You’ll receive every item that I received (in the picture below), including organics, and traditional almond honey nougat for dessert.