I used leftover rotisserie chicken from my local deli, which saved me a bunch of time preparing and cooking my own. Along with fresh mushrooms, onions, garlic, a small package of frozen mixed veggies, cooked pasta and a couple of jars of prepared Alfredo sauce, this recipe is so easy to prepare. Enjoy!
Ingredients
3 tbsp. olive oil
3 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp. fresh garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups medium sized pasta, cooked pre al-dente (I used Rotelli)
4 cups cooked rotisserie deli chicken (or other leftover chicken)
1 small package frozen mixed veggies (peas, carrots, green beans) defrosted and squeezed dry in a towel
2 - 15 oz. jars store bought Alfredo sauce (I used Bertolli)
Topping
1 1/4 cups dried breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (or both)
3 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tbsp. olive oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
1. Heat the olive oil over a medium to high flame and add the mushrooms, onion and garlic. Combine with a wooden spoon and cook until the moisture has evaporated. Then, add the Worcestershire sauce and cook for 2 minutes more. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, chop the chicken into small pieces. Add the squeezed out frozen and defrosted veggies, salt, cayenne and black pepper. Mix well.
3. Add the Alfredo sauce and mix together well. Lastly, gently fold in the pasta. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray and add the chicken mixture.
4. Finally, combine the breadcrumbs, cheese and butter in a small bowl and blend these together well. Spread the crumb mixture over the casserole and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake for approximately 30 - 35 minutes until the breadcrumbs become golden and the mixture bubbles around the edges of the dish.
Chef's notes
A note on the pasta - When making baked dishes with pasta, it is essential that you cook the pasta pre al-dente. Which means that when you taste it, it will feel like it has a soft, yet firm and/or crunchy bite to it - this is when you know to drain it and spray or pour cold water over it to stop it from cooking further.
The reason for cooking pasta this way for casseroles, is that it will continue to cook in the oven - so we do NOT want to cook it all the way initially. This will ensure that our pasta doesn't become a big mushy mess when we serve it.
