April 24, 2013

Chicken Broccoli Pasta Casserole

I found this recipe posted on Facebook because that's apparently where all the good recipes are floating around these days. I traced it back to Southern Living which is an awesome magazine to find great southern recipes in it. My friends and their tots were coming over for lunch so I wanted something easy that everyone would like. I quickly ditched the spinach though because who wants to find themselves chatting away only to realize later they had spinach stuck in their teeth. And also because I had spinach on hand. Here's the version I made, well, after I doctored it for dinner, because it was rather bland as it was listed.

8 ounces uncooked rigatoni or penne, cooked
2 cups of broccoli florets, cooked and halved
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
½ cup finely chopped onion or 2 tbsp dried onion
1 8oz chive-and-onion cream cheese (I could only find plain), softened
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 large can of cream of chicken soup
1 14.5oz can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups (8oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

Boil chicken, broccoli, and pasta in separate pots. Drain, dice/cube as needed.
Combine softened cream cheese, onions, salt, pepper, red pepper, cream of chicken together in a large bowl. Add in tomatoes and 1½ cups of cheese; stir again. Add in chicken, broccoli, and pasta and stir again.
Spoon mixture into baking dish, and sprinkle evenly with last ½ cup of cheese.
Bake, covered, at 375° for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until bubbly.

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