Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

I saw Miss Giada make this recipe this past weekend. By the time she was finished I was drooling, and the husband was saying, "make it, make it! So I did (with a few minor modifications of course).

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina (4 servings at 5 points a piece)

Ingredients:

1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup shredded fat-free mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup fat-free grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon fat-free or low-fat butter
Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in an 8x8x2-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

I'm typically not a fan of bread crumb crusts on pastas, but this one was very pleasant. It mixed well with the rest of the dish and didn't stick out like a sore thumb the way some bread crumb crusts do. The rest of the dish was excellent. The melty cheese, warm tomatoes, and chicken was just delicious. This dish is definitely a keeper. The husband said I should make this everyday (along with turkey paninis and lasagna) :)

Note: You can find the original recipe here, if you would like to see it without my minor changes.