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Who’s ready for a big bowl of creamy, cheesy, chicken pasta goodness? This family-favorite dinner tastes even better packed in a thermos for lunch the next day.
Keep scrolling to learn everything you need to know about packing this leftover salsa verde chicken in a thermos for a healthy school lunch.
Hot Lunch Idea: Salsa Verde Pasta
Salsa verde is a combination of roasted tomatillos (small green tomatoes), chilis, garlic, and cilantro blended into a zesty sauce. Unlike pico de gallo or regular salsa, it has a smoky, vibrant flavor that makes it the star of this easy pasta dish.
While salsa verde pasta is often served for dinner, in this post I’ll show you how to reheat the pasta and pack it into a thermos container so everyone can enjoy a delicious, hot lunch!
How to make Salsa Verde Chicken Pasta
There are two routes to making this heavenly pasta. First, you could make these slow cooker Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos for dinner one night and use the leftover salsa verde chicken for this pasta the next. Tacos one night, pasta the next, what’s not to love?
The second method for Salsa Verde Chicken Pasta would be to combine 2 to 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken meat with salsa verde, lime juice, and taco seasoning. Give it a stir and add to the cooked pasta and cream sauce.
No matter how you make it, you’ll have some delicious things going on in the kitchen.
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How to Keep Pasta Leftovers Warm for Lunch
There’s a trick to keeping food hot in a thermos, and below I’ll share step-by-step directions on how to do just that with creamy pasta.
- Add a portion of pasta to a microwave-safe dish.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of water and cover with plastic wrap.
- Microwave for 2 minutes or until the pasta is PIPING HOT. It needs to be at this high of a temp to stay warm.
- Transfer the hot pasta to a warmed thermos container and seal. Pack it into a lunch bag with additional sides and snacks.
Check out the video below to see the fastest way to warm your thermos container:
Curious why we add water and cover the dish with plastic wrap when reheating pasta? The water helps reconstitute the sauce, and the plastic wrap creates a barrier of steam that prevents the pasta from drying out.
More Recipes Using Salsa Verde
So what else can you make with salsa verde? So glad you asked, let’s see there’s Huevos Verdes, over scrambled eggs, as a sauce for enchiladas, or stirred into Chicken and Veggie Chili.
There’s no wrong answer but first, you need to make this Salsa Verde Chicken Pasta and while you do I’ll be over here burying my face in this cheesy pasta goodness.
Salsa Verde Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add the chicken broth, salsa verde, half and half, pasta, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in the shredded chicken and 1 cup of cheese until the mixture is creamy. Add the remaining cheese over the pasta and cover the skillet with the lid for 2 minutes to melt the cheese.
- To pack for lunch, preheat the thermos container and fill it with about 1 ½ cups of salsa verde pasta. Close the thermos container and pack it into a lunch bag with your choice of snacks.
- Include an ice pack to keep the other ingredients chilled.
Chris David says
I loved this recipe for salsa verde chicken pasta so much . It’s really awesome.
MOMables - Laura says
Thank you for sharing how much you enjoyed it!
Lisa says
Do you think this recipe could be converted to the Instant Pot? Any suggestions?
MOMables - Laura says
Hi Lisa! As much as I love the Instant Pot, I haven’t made this recipe in one. I’m not certain it would hold up well because it calls for half & half at the beginning of the recipe which causes it to separate/curdle. For now, I’d stick to the stove top version or swap the half & half for an additional cup of chicken broth. Hope this helps.