Chicken Alfredo and Rice Casserole

1 10 ounce container refrigerated light Alfredo pasta sauce (I used 1 jar of garlic Alfredo)

½ cup milk

2 ½ cups cooked white rice or wild rice 

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 cup frozen peas (did not have frozen so I eliminated this ingredient)

1/3 cup chopped bottled roasted red sweet peppers (I used fresh orange and green bell peppers that I sauteed)

¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted (optional)

1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dried basil,  crushed

1 cup soft bread crumbs (I used crushed croutons)

1 tablespoon butter, melted (I did not use but used 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese instead) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl combine pasta sauce and milk. Stir in rice, chicken, peas, sweet peppers, nuts, and basil. Transfer to 1-1/2-quart baking dish.

Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and stir. Combine bread crumbs and melted butter; sprinkle atop. Bake, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes more or until heated through and crumbs are golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

Martha:  As you can see I made a few changes, as always.  I used the garlic Alfredo sauce which is a staple in my pantry.  I like the sweet taste of orange and yellow bell peppers as well as the taste of the green so I decided to do as I recommend in my cookbooks and 'Think With My Taste Buds.'  The peppers I sauteed in about 1 Tbsp. of olive oil until they were tender and starting to brown lightly.  The croutons and Parmesan I sprinkled over the dish before the 2nd baking giving the dish another texture.  

This dish turned out so good!  There was a slight sweetness from the peppers, the garlic in the Alfredo gave it another taste with both of them combining beautifully.  My food testers ALL loved it.