Chicken Pasta Casserole with Cheddar Cheese
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The following recipe is for a delicious chicken pasta casserole dish, utilizing a creamy cheese sauce made from cheddar cheese, butter, mushrooms with garlic and Worcestershire sauce. This recipe uses spaghetti, but pick your favorite type of pasta or noodle (don't forget to break up the more noodle-y pastas like spaghetti before you try to boil them).
For the chicken, you can cook your own chicken beforehand (chicken breasts, chicken thighs, whatever) and then dice. Or you can slice the chicken you need for the casserole off of a store bought or rotisserie chicken. The chicken will cook to a certain extent as you cook the whole casserole, but you'll still want to start the casserole with cooked chicken (it just won't get enough cooking during the casserole baking phase). Feel free to substitute in half-and-half for milk if you want a creamier, heartier dish. Here is the full list of ingredients you'll need for this dish: - chicken, cooked, diced (2 cups) - spaghetti (or pasta of your choice), broken up (8 ounces) - all-purpose flour (2 tablespoons) - cheddar cheese, shredded - sharp or mild (3 cups) - milk (1.5 cups) - mushrooms, sliced (5 ounces) - unsalted butter (3 tablespoons) - Worcestershire sauce (1 teaspoon) - minced garlic (1 garlic clove) |
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Start by heating the oven to 350 degrees and make sure you have a greased baking/casserole dish standing by (something around 2.5 or 3 quarts), then bring a pot of water to boil and add salt. Cook your pasta for two minutes less than the time recommended on the package (remember to break up first if it's spaghetti), then drain the pasta with a colander and rinse.
Now take a saucepan (large) and put over medium-low heat, adding the butter and letting it melt. Next toss the mushrooms in and saute them for a minute or so, until they are tender. Put the down to low, then add your garlic and cook another minute or so.
Take the flour and stir it in as you cook things another two minutes, then slowly add the milk and stir until the mixture has thickened up. Next comes the cheese - add two cups of your mild or sharp cheddar cheese and stir in, cooking until everything is melted and combined into the mixture.
Finally, it's time to add the other star ingredients: the diced cooked chicken, cooked spaghetti (or other pasta), and Worcestershire sauce. Stir these ingredients in completely, then pour everything into the baking/casserole dish. Add another cup of the cheddar cheese to create a top layer.
Bake the casserole in your oven at 350 degrees for 30+ minutes, checking that it is thoroughly cooked and golden brown on top.
This recipe will take you around an hour total and make four servings, each with about 800 calories, a pretty even mix of protein, carbs, and fat.
For a traditional casserole topping, add breadcrumbs over the top layer of cheese. If you want to make your own breadcrumbs, toss break several slices of bread into small pieces and add some melted butter.
Now take a saucepan (large) and put over medium-low heat, adding the butter and letting it melt. Next toss the mushrooms in and saute them for a minute or so, until they are tender. Put the down to low, then add your garlic and cook another minute or so.
Take the flour and stir it in as you cook things another two minutes, then slowly add the milk and stir until the mixture has thickened up. Next comes the cheese - add two cups of your mild or sharp cheddar cheese and stir in, cooking until everything is melted and combined into the mixture.
Finally, it's time to add the other star ingredients: the diced cooked chicken, cooked spaghetti (or other pasta), and Worcestershire sauce. Stir these ingredients in completely, then pour everything into the baking/casserole dish. Add another cup of the cheddar cheese to create a top layer.
Bake the casserole in your oven at 350 degrees for 30+ minutes, checking that it is thoroughly cooked and golden brown on top.
This recipe will take you around an hour total and make four servings, each with about 800 calories, a pretty even mix of protein, carbs, and fat.
For a traditional casserole topping, add breadcrumbs over the top layer of cheese. If you want to make your own breadcrumbs, toss break several slices of bread into small pieces and add some melted butter.