Chicken & Pasta Bake
Submitted by roywittman
Chicken and elbow pasta baked in a rich Monterey Jack and Parmesan cream sauce with sautéed mushrooms, zucchini, and tomatoes. A loaded pasta casserole that feeds 8.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
If mac and cheese grew up and got serious about life, this would be it. Elbow pasta, chopped chicken, and a pile of sautéed vegetables get smothered in a from-scratch cream sauce made with Monterey Jack, Parmesan, and heavy whipping cream, then baked until it’s bubbling hot all the way through.
The vegetable mix is generous: onions, mushrooms, zucchini, celery, and garlic all get a turn in the butter before being tossed with tomatoes, basil, and a pinch of crushed red pepper for heat. That’s a lot of flavor layered into one casserole dish.
Eight servings from one pan makes this ideal for feeding a family or bringing to a potluck where you want to be the hero.
Pro Tips
- Melt the cheeses into the cream over low heat. High heat will make the cheese seize and turn grainy. Patience here gives you a smooth, glossy sauce that pours like liquid gold.
- Cook the vegetables until just crisp-tender. They’ll continue cooking during the 40-minute bake. Overdoing them on the stovetop means mushy vegetables in the final dish.
- Cover the baking dish tightly. The foil traps steam and heats everything evenly. Without it, the top dries out before the center gets hot.
Ingredients
Directions
Sauté first 5 ingredients in butter until vegetables are crisp- tender.
Stir in tomatoes, basil, salt, and crushed red pepper; set aside.
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
Combine pasta, vegetable mixture, and chicken in a large bowl; spoon mixture into an 11×7×1½ inch baking dish .
Combine whipping cream and cheeses in a medium saucepan; cook over low heat until cheese melts, stirring frequently.
Pour sauce over pasta mixture.
Bake, covered, at 350℉ (180℃) for 40 to 45 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
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