This is a wonderful, yummy and gooey casserole my whole family loves. I found this recipe from one of my favorite cooking website The Pioneer Woman. There are a lot of vegetables in this casserole, but the key way my kiddos will eat this, is to keep everything diced very small. You can also make adjustments to suit the needs of your family. Another great benefit to this casserole is its super freezer friendly or perfect for a meal train. It’s always comforting to have this recipe on hand.
What you need:
6-8 Chicken Breasts
1 pound thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces
2 Sticks of celery
1 Small can of olives chopped
1 4-ounce jar of diced pimento, drained
1 Small finely diced onion
1 finely diced green bell pepper
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon seasoned salt, such as Lawry’s
Freshly ground pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Boil chicken, (to make more flavorful add 1 bouillon cube.) take out and cool and save 2 cups of broth from the pot and set aside. Bring the remaining broth back to a boil and add the spaghetti. Cook it until done. Drain the spaghetti, discarding the cooking liquid. Set aside. With two forks (or your fingers), remove the chicken. Shred or cut the meat into bite-sized chunks.
Drain the pimento. Then dice the vegetables: finely dice the onion, celery and cut the green pepper into Julienne strips…then slice them in the other direction to create dice. Sauté celery, onions, peppers until tender.
Place the cooked spaghetti in a large bowl. Add the cream of mushroom soup. Add 2 cups of cheddar cheese. Then add the onion, green pepper, and pimento. Add the seasoned salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Finally add the chicken and broth. Stir together well, then taste to check the seasonings.
Pour the mixture into a large baking dish, and top with the remaining ½ cup cheddar cheese. Bake for 35 minutes, until bubbly.
Enjoy!
