This version of buffalo chicken pasta was originally a “what’s in the pantry?” dinner on a night we had leftovers to eat and weren’t really feeling any of them. I not-so-secretly love a good pantry dinner, because it makes me feel like I’m on Chopped, without the pressure or crazy ingredients. I’ve made it a few different times in a few different ways depending on what we had around, so this is the most recent version.

The best part about this recipe is you can adapt it to creatively use a little bit of leftovers or a pound of leftovers – it’s completely up to what you have around, the time you want to spend, and what you’re going for that time around. 

You’ll need:

• pasta (whatever you have around, but we like penne or spaghetti)
• leftover shredded buffalo chicken (from when you made this recipe)
• alfredo sauce
• plain Greek yogurt
• milk
• shredded cheese (mozzarella, your favorite Italian blend, whatever you have around)
• hot sauce/buffalo sauce if you like the extra heat
• breadcrumbs (if you have them)

Cook your preferred amount of pasta according to the directions on the box and set aside to drain. Tonight we were making a baked version, so we used about half a box of penne.

In a sauce pan (or the pot you just cooked the pasta in, because who wants to dirty another dish), warm the alfredo sauce (we used about 1/2 the Trader Joe’s jar) and chicken together with a bit of milk to thin it out, and if you like the heat, a tablespoon or so of hot sauce or buffalo sauce over low heat. The added dairy ingredients can sometimes tone down the spice of the buffalo, so we like to kick it back up a notch. 

I like to add some plain Greek yogurt for the extra tang and some lightened-up creaminess. If my husband would touch it, I’d use blue cheese for the tang, but no go. Throw in a handful (or two, no judgement here) of your shredded cheese. If you don’t have any alfredo sauce around, we’ve done this with just the milk, yogurt, and cheese, and it still totally worked, just use a little more of each. The sauce will thicken up a little as it warms on the low heat.

If you’re not doing a baked version, you can stop here, but the baked version is our favorite.

Heat your oven to about 400 degrees and spray your dish with cooking spray. Combine your pasta and sauce in the baking dish, and top with more shredded cheese and breadcrumbs, if you have them. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until you see the edges bubbling. We like to finish with the broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese and breadcrumbs.

I like to top mine with some avocado, because I like to have the contrast of the cool avocado with the spicy buffalo chicken. If you’re feeling extra decadent (or used that extra hot sauce I warned you about), you can give it a drizzle of ranch or blue cheese to cool it off too.

Don’t you love easy ways to use your leftovers that aren’t the same old thing?