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At least once a week, my family has a pasta dinner night. We enjoy all kinds of pastas and sauces, but many times we end up just making spaghetti. To change up our normal menu, I took Mueller’s® Pasta Matchmaker Quiz, which selects a pasta dish based off of your preferences. They recommended I make Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole, which was a perfect suggestion for my family.
Pasta Matchmaker is a great and easy way to change up your normal dinner routine. The questions are simple and quick. The results are customized based on your mood or occasion. You can make the recipe as written or you could enter the Pasta Matchmaker Challenge by adding your own spin on a Mueller’s® classic recipe. You just need to submit your pasta dish during the challenges for a chance to win prizes. Contest dates are: Challenge #1: January 1 – January 21, Challenge #2: January 22 – February 4, Challenge #3: February 5 – February 18, Challenge #4: February 19 – March 4, Challenge #5: March 5 – March 18 and Challenge #6: March 19 – April 1.
After receiving my Pasta Matchmaker result, I decided to head to my local Giant Food Store to pick up the ingredients. I found Mueller’s® elbows in the pasta aisle. My pasta recipe actually called for jumbo elbows, but my store didn’t carry that variety. After buying all my ingredients, I went home to start making dinner.
As you probably already figured out, the main ingredients in Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole are cheese, chicken, broccoli and pasta. The recipe calls for shredded cheddar cheese, cooked diced chicken, frozen broccoli florets and Mueller’s® elbows.
To make Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole, you need to preheat oven to 375°F and spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with non-stick spray. On the stovetop, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.
After 6 minutes of boiling, add the broccoli florets to the pasta and continue cooking per package directions. Drain the pasta and broccoli, and set them aside. In the empty pot, melt butter on medium heat. Whisk in the flour until well blended, and season with salt and pepper. Add in the milk and cook while whisking constantly, until mixture simmers. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, stirring until melted and smooth. Stir in the chicken, pasta, and broccoli. Then place the mixture into the baking dish and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese on top and bake uncovered for another 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Our pasta nights just became more interesting thanks to the Pasta Matchmaker. My family really enjoyed our dinner and we are interested in trying more dishes. The Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole is a delicious family friendly pasta dinner that is sure to please everyone.
- 16 ounces Mueller’s Jumbo Elbows
- 16 ounces frozen broccoli florets
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups milk
- 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
- 2 cups cooked chicken, diced
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Cook pasta according to package directions; after 6 minutes of boiling, add broccoli cuts to pasta and continue cooking per package directions; drain and set aside.
- Return hot, empty pan to medium heat and add butter. Once butter has melted, whisk in flour until blended well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add milk and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture simmers.
- Remove from heat and stir in 2½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese, stirring until melted and smooth. Add chicken, pasta, and broccoli and stir gently to mix.
- Place in baking dish. Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheese and bake, uncovered, for 5 additional minutes or until cheese is melted.
Take Mueller’s® Pasta Matchmaker to find out what pasta dish would be perfect for your next meal.