Creamy Cheesy Chicken and Pasta Casserole

Hi, everybody. It’s a beautiful day today. It looks like it wants to rain and that’s a good day.

Why You’ll Love This

I think you’re gonna love it.

This is gonna give it that beautiful crust.

This is heavenly delicious and I’m sure children will absolutely love it and it’s super easy.

Ingredients

• For the pasta:

  • two cups small shell pasta
  • salt

• For the creamy sauce:

  • four tablespoons butter
  • one cup of finely chopped onions
  • one fourth cup of finely chopped orange bell pepper
  • two large garlic cloves that are finely minced together
  • three tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • one and a half cups of whole milk
  • three teaspoons of chicken flavor
  • two hits of cayenne pepper
  • a little bit of salt
  • a little bit of pepper

• For the casserole:

  • three cups leftover chicken
  • three fourths cup of corn
  • one and a half cups of sharp cheddar cheese
  • one and a half cups of Monterey Jack
  • one cup of sour cream
  • a little bit more pepper
  • a little bit more cayenne pepper

• For the topping:

  • half a cup of Monterey Jack
  • half a cup of sharp cheddar
  • half a sleeve of crackers
  • three tablespoons of melted butter

• For the baking dish:

  • non-stick spray

Instructions

1. I’m gonna add my salt.
2. I’m gonna add my two cups of pasta in here.
3. I’m gonna cook it for about eight minutes just follow the directions on the back of the package.
4. So after eight minutes, I’m gonna drain it and I’m gonna rinse it really well.
5. So now I’m gonna add it into this bowl.
6. I’m gonna cover it up and I’m gonna set it aside.
7. I’m gonna add four tablespoons butter.
8. I’m gonna move my butter around until it melts really well.
9. I’m gonna add my onions.
10. I’m gonna add one fourth cup of finely chopped orange bell pepper.
11. I’m also gonna add two large garlic cloves that are finely minced together.
12. And I’m gonna move all this around for about one minute.
13. So after a minute, I’m gonna add my all-purpose flour.
14. I’m gonna move it around until it gets nice and cooked.
15. Now I’m gonna add my milk in here slowly.
16. And I’m gonna whisk it.
17. I’m gonna add three teaspoons of chicken flavor.
18. And I’m gonna add two hits of cayenne pepper.
19. I’m gonna add a little bit of salt.
20. A little bit of pepper.
21. And I’m gonna continue whisking it until it gets real nice and thick and creamy.
22. I’m gonna turn off the heat and I’m gonna set it aside right here.
23. Now into this big bowl, I’m gonna add all my pasta.
24. I’m gonna add my three cups of chicken.
25. I’m gonna add three fourths cup of corn.
26. Now I’m gonna add all my sauce in here.
27. I’m gonna add one and a half cups of sharp cheddar cheese.
28. And I have one and a half cups of Monterey Jack.
29. Now I’m gonna toss all this together.
30. Before I continue tossing it, I’m gonna add one cup of sour cream.
31. And I’m gonna add just a little bit more pepper.
32. And now I’m gonna toss it in real good together.
33. Make sure that it’s all well combined.
34. Now this would be a good time for you to preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
35. I’m gonna spray my dish lightly with some non-stick spray.
36. Now I’m gonna add all my mixture in here.
37. I’m just gonna smooth it out.
38. Now I’m gonna add my cheese.
39. So I’m gonna add the Monterey Jack on top.
40. There’s a Monterey Jack.
41. Now the sharp cheddar.
42. I’m just gonna crumble it up really good like that.
43. Now I’m gonna add my crumbs into this bowl.
44. And I’m gonna add three tablespoons of melted butter.
45. Now I’m just gonna sprinkle it on top.
46. Now I’m gonna stick it into my oven right on the center rack That’s preheated to 350 degrees for 35 minutes Or until it gets real nice and bubbly and golden brown from the top.
47. Now I’m gonna set it right here.
48. And I’m gonna let it cool for about 10 minutes.

Cooking Tips

You can shred it if that’s what you want to do.

If you don’t have leftover chicken, you can always use rotisserie chicken.

I like to use small pasta. I don’t want to use a big clunky pasta because then it takes longer to cook.

You don’t want to burn your garlic.

You don’t want raw flour in your sauce.

So you want to whisk it non-stop.

Now you want to taste it and adjust it if you have to.

But you want to make sure that you don’t get it too salty because we’ve got other ingredients that are going to go in here And you don’t want to overdo it.

You can add your favorite cheese.

I like the combination. You can use your favorite. I think they’re all good.

I like to add the sour cream at the end Because you don’t want it to curdle So once the temperature has come down in the bowl, you can add your sour cream.

You can add your favorite vegetables in here.

Sometimes I add green peas. I just follow the package directions on frozen peas and then I add it in here.

You can add broccoli just cut it up into small pieces and just blanch it and then put it in here. It’s all good.

You can use butter if you want to do that.

You can add as much as you want. I find that one cup is pretty good.

Half a sleeve works perfect for me, but you can always add a little bit more.

It’s optional. If you want to just add your cheese, that’s fine.

Make sure that you have all these crumbs coated with butter.

Keep your eyes on it uncovered. Just like this.

Now you can use a spatula or you can use a spoon Whichever you like.

Serving Suggestions

I’m gonna be serving this with a salad.

It just goes so perfect with it. You can serve it with anything you like on the side But a cold salad just goes so well with this.

I like to put some ranch dressing right on top because the tanginess of the ranch dressing And this casserole just goes so good together.

And I’m gonna enjoy it with some tropical punch.

So this is my creamy cheesy chicken and pasta casserole.