Creamy Chicken & Vegetable Pasta

I've made quite a few recipes posted on the blog, Stephanie Cooks. I feel like her recipes are easy to follow and realistic - she cooks with very common ingredients, so I never feel intimidated. And there are 65 pasta tags...65! How could one get bored!? I decided to try this recipe, as I've never made a creamy sauce before. It was good, and very simple. You can add whatever vegetables you like, making this a very versatile dish. Enjoy!

Adapted from Stephanie Cooks: Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Pasta.

Ingredients:

8 ounces pasta
1 cup mushrooms, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced

1 tbsp. flour (I used close to 2)

1 1/3 cup milk (I used skim)
2 tbsp. light cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup broccoli, cooked and set aside

1 cup grape tomatoes
1 cup cooked chicken breast, diced and set aside
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Cook the pasta and set aside, keeping warm. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the mushrooms and onions until soft - about 5 minutes. Add the garlic & stir well for about 30 seconds. Add the flour, stirring it into the veggies. Pour in the milk and whisk continually until well combined. Cook until it thickens - this will be about 10 minutes. Be patient - it will thicken!

Once it thickens add the salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat, stir in the cream cheese until well-combined. Add the parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, chicken, tomatoes, pasta, and broccoli to the skillet. Cook over low heat until heated through.