I figured I'd come back quietly and unobtrusively and share a recipe that was a huge hit at dinner tonight. It's a modified version of an old recipe I used to make when my kids were little. I was trying to think of a quick and different way to cook some chicken tonight and immediately got on Pinterest to get inspired. Then I thought of my chicken spaghetti recipe and decided to see how many variations there were... turns out there are a lot of variations. So, I picked a couple of them that had components that are not in my original recipe but are really great additions and combined them with my recipe, adapted the recipe to fit the ingredients I had on hand and Ta-Da!! A new family favorite!
Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
This recipe makes 2 9x13 pans of spaghetti, so unless you need a ton of it, you might want to adjust the recipe.
Here it is:
2lbs of whole wheat thin spaghetti (or bowtie pasta, or pasta of choice)
2 onions - diced and browned
8 chicken breasts, cut into cubes, cook in a skillet with salt, pepper and garlic - set aside
1/2 lb of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
3 cans of rotel or italian seasoned tomatoes
8oz cream cheese - cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella
1 cup of creamy Havarti cut into cubes
(Besides the cream cheese, use whatever cheeses you prefer. I happened to have mozzarella and Havarti in my fridge)
salt and pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper (optional - if you like a little kick)
Italian style bread crumbs
grated parmesan
1-2 cups of broth or water
Cook pasta and set aside. Combine chicken, onion, bacon, tomatoes, cheeses and 1 cup of the broth. Mix well. If it seems like it's going to be too dry, add a little more liquid but don't make it too soupy. I mix the ingredients over heat to get the cheeses started melting. Once everything is mixed well, add the pasta. Be sure to get it all mixed together. Transfer to a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes - just until it is bubbly. ENJOY!!!
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