Thursday, August 15, 2019

Chicken Supreme Pasta Bake #pasta #chicken

A pan of Chicken Supreme Pasta Bake is definitely comfort food to the max. This easy, cheesy pasta bake comes together in no time when you combine the toppings from a chicken supreme pizza with pasta and cheese.

My goal to start making more dinners around here is going pretty well. I have been trying to experiment more with savory foods along with all the sweets and treats each week.

So far, so good. I have this chicken pasta bake and one other easy pasta bake ready to share with you. Both comfort food meals were given two thumbs up by my little taste testers.


You’ll Need:


  • 16 ounces pasta, cooked al dente
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 1/2 cup diced green pepper
  • 1/2 cup diced mushrooms
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 3 Tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 - 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 2 cups grilled chicken, cubed
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Oregano


Instructions:


  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray.
  2. Place the onion, green pepper, mushrooms, and butter in a large skillet and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Stir in the garlic and flour and cook for another minute or two.
  4. Whisk in the chicken broth. Stir until the broth thickens slightly.
  5. Stir in the yogurt. Add 1 cup cheddar cheese and 1 cup mozzarella cheese and stir until melted.
  6. Add the cooked pasta, chicken, and can of tomatoes and stir everything together.
  7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  8. Spoon the pasta into the prepared dish. Top with the remaining cheese and sprinkle with oregano.
  9. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and browning. Serve hot.


NOTES:

How to make Chicken Supreme Pasta Bake:
This dinner comes together pretty quickly if you prep your ingredients ahead of time. You can chop the chicken and vegetables early in the day and keep them in containers in the refrigerator.

You can cook your own chicken, or buy an extra rotisserie chicken for quick meal prep. You could even use canned chicken if that’s what you have on hand.

You can cook your pasta while the veggies are cooking, or you can cook your pasta ahead of time and keep it refrigerated. Make sure you toss the cooked pasta with a little bit of oil to keep the noodles from sticking if you do cook it ahead of time.

When it is time to start dinner, you will be ahead of the game because you have all the prep work done. Just toss the chopped veggies in a skillet with some butter and sauté for 2 minutes. Then sprinkle the veggies with some flour and cook for another minute or two.

That flour is going to cook into the butter and create a roux that will thicken up the chicken broth. It may be a little clumpy and thick at first, but be patient. It will cook down.

Whisk in the chicken broth and stir until it thickens slightly. Now you can add the yogurt and cheese and let it get all melty and wonderful. This dish is full of dairy and proteins.

All that dairy gives you your vitamins and helps strengthen your bones. It’s a great way to make sure your kids (and you) are getting your daily dairy requirements.

If you need dinner in 30 minutes, this skillet dish is perfect. You can eat it as soon as you melt all the cheese into the sauce. Just stir in the cooked pasta, tomatoes, and cooked chicken and dinner is ready.

BUT…if you have an extra 20 minutes, I suggest putting the cheesy pasta into a baking dish and topping it with even more cheese. Oh, yeah!!! You want to do it this way!

This dinner was met with rave reviews from my kids. They loved that this pasta had so much melted cheese on top AND inside.

They were so excited about the cheese that they didn’t even realize that I had slipped mushrooms into their dinner.

*This can also be made into a freezer meal. Place the cheesy pasta into a glass freezer container and top with the remaining cheese and oregano. Let cool on the counter for an hour, then refrigerate until chilled. Place the pan in the freezer for 2-3 months. To cook, thaw the pasta overnight in the refrigerator. Bake according to directions.