Desperate Chicken Casserole

I've had a bit of a problem planning dinners this week. See, I thought I was going to be paid on Monday, and planned my groceries accordingly. 6:00 p.m. came (the time we inexplicably receive our mail) and went, with no check. So we had to scrounge Monday for dinner, no big deal. Then Tuesday came and went, and today, I still hadn't received my check. Yesterday Hubby ran to Costco and got me a Costco-sized bag of those frozen grilled chicken strips. I absolutely love those. You can throw them into virtually any dish with no prep beyond warming! I pulled together my fantastic BBQ Chicken pizza.

Tonight was tricky. I had no idea what to make for dinner. We have bits and pieces of a lot of things, but nothing that could easily be thrown together to make a healthy, satisfying dinner for 5. I spent 30 minutes recipe searching for what few ingredients I had on hand. Finally, I decided to take a few variations of several recipes and add my own twists. The result... fantastic. It received rave reviews from the four speaking family members and one enthusiastic baby sign for "more please."

I wish I had taken pictures of the meal, but I totally spaced it. I'm already looking forward to what little leftovers remain. Here's the recipe.

Desperate Chicken Casserole
1 lb. Egg noodles
8 oz. frozen grilled chicken strips
1 large can whole tomatoes
4-5 slices bacon
1½ cups mozzarella.
2 garlic cloves
1 t. basil
1 t. oregano
1 t. garlic powder

1. Bring pot of water to a boil. Salt water and add egg noodles.
2. 2. Heat grilled chicken strips on grill pan or griddle.
3. Peel garlic cloves and mash with a knife. Cook garlic with bacon until bacon is crisp. Remove bacon, and cut into bit sized pieces. Toss garlic cloves.
4. Dice whole tomatoes into bite-sized pieces and add to frying pan. Scrap bacon bits off bottom of frying pan. Add basil, oregano, and garlic powder and stir. Cook until heated through.
5. Preheat broiler. Drain egg noodles when al dente. Pour into bottom of casserole dish. Pour tomatoes onto noodles. Top with chicken and bacon. Add liberal amounts of mozzarella and broil for 3 minutes. Serve immediately.