Creamy Baked Chicken Caprese

I know this isn't scrapbooking related, but I wanted to share it, knowing that other people are probably on the hunt for quick, tasty meal ideas just like I am. 

I took some Insalata Caprese to school today for a birthday celebration, and it got me thinking- what else could I do to harness the harmonious paring of basil, tomato, and mozzarella? So I went home today and did a little creating and... voila! Creamy Baked Chicken Caprese. It is what would result if Insalata Caprese and a baked macaroni dish had a love child. On the cheap, with whatever I could dig up in my kitchen. Bearing that in mind, it actually turned out quite well. Here's what I used:

Approximately 8 oz. elbow macaroni
1 can Hunts Traditional Spaghetti Sauce ( this is the stuff on the bottom shelf in a can. It's cheap, and not half bad tasting if you jazz it up).
1 can chicken breast meat
1/4 c. cream cheese (you could probably substitute some heavy cream or half-and-half. Anything to give the sauce some creaminess)
1/4 cup milk
4 oz. shredded Mozzarella (you could use the fresh stuff a la Insalata Caprese, but shredded is cheaper and bakes nicely)
1 oz. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (freshly grated makes a difference! Don't cheap out on this and get the grated stuff in the can)
3-4 sweet basil leaves, chopped or torn into small bits. This is the key ingredient!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine spaghetti sauce, chicken breast (with juices), cream cheese, milk, and 1/2 of the chopped basil. Simmer on low heat while macaroni cooks. Your goal is to melt the cream cheese into the sauce.
Boil and drain macaroni- cook until just tender.
Combine macaroni and sauce in an oven-safe casserole dish  (11/2- 2 qts).
Cover top with Mozzarella, grate Parmesan directly on top of that.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until cheese is melted and has some golden brown spots.
Remove from oven, sprinkle remainder of basil leaves over top. Let the dish rest for a couple of minutes for easiest serving.

This is a quick, cheap, easy meal that captures the spirit of Insalata Caprese. I think it would be equally good with other meat, or no meat at all. I just had some of that chicken on-hand, and I know it works well in pasta sauce, because I use it with those frozen chicken ravioli you buy at the store.