Chicken Parm Pizza Pasta

Ingredients

• 24 oz marinara sauce
• water (A little water added to the empty marinara jar to loosen and scrape out the remaining sauce)
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp garlic powder (The creator says a little more may be added for good measure)
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2.5 oz bacon bits (One bag)
• 6 oz pepperoni (Cut in half before adding)
• 2 chicken breasts (Cubed; the creator says the breasts may instead be left whole and shredded later)
• 1 box pasta (Cooked separately on the stovetop; box size was not stated, estimated as 16 oz)
• 2 cup mozzarella cheese (Shredded)
• 2 tbsp butter (Melted in the microwave)
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (Italian-style)
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese (Shredded)
• parsley (For topping)

Steps

1. 1

   Pour the marinara sauce into the crockpot. Add a little water to the empty sauce jar, shake or swirl it to loosen the remaining sauce, and pour that into the crockpot.

2. 2

   Add the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper to the sauce. Add a little extra garlic powder if desired, as the creator suggests.

3. 3

   Add the bacon bits and pepperoni. Cut the pepperoni in half with kitchen shears before adding it to the crockpot.

4. 4

   Cube the chicken breasts and add them to the crockpot. Alternatively, leave the chicken breasts whole and shred them later, but the creator prefers cubed chicken for this recipe.

5. 5

   Mix the chicken and sauce mixture thoroughly so the seasonings and meat are distributed throughout.

6. 6

   Cover the crockpot and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours, or on low for 5 to 6 hours.

7. 7

   When the crockpot mixture is finished, cook one box of pasta separately on the stovetop according to the package directions.

8. 8

   Add the shredded mozzarella to the cooked crockpot mixture and stir it in. Continue stirring until the cheese melts into the mixture.

9. 9

   In a separate microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave.

10. 10

    Add the Italian-style breadcrumbs and shredded Parmesan cheese to the melted butter. Mix until the breadcrumb mixture is evenly combined.

11. 11

    Sprinkle the breadcrumb-Parmesan mixture evenly over the top of the crockpot mixture.

12. 12

    Put the lid back on and cook on high for 10 to 20 minutes, until the topping is heated through and the cheese has melted.

13. 13

    Spoon some of the cooked pasta onto each plate, then ladle the chicken parm pizza mixture over the pasta.

14. 14

    Finish with parsley on top and serve.

Notes

The transcript does not specify the pasta type or box size; one standard 16-ounce box was estimated for nutrition and servings. The transcript also does not state a specific chicken weight, so two average boneless chicken breasts were estimated at about 454 g total. The stated high/low crockpot times are alternatives, not cumulative cooking times.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• crockpot
• slow-cooked
• kid-friendly
• family dinner
• Italian-inspired
• chicken
• pasta