Chicken Broccoli Casserole

This is adapted from skinnytaste.com. I changed it a little bit based on what I had on hand and what we normally eat. This is a one dish dinner with vegetables, protein, grain and dairy. Tonight we are having it with whole spelt sourdough bread that I made today, but a salad would also be a good.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces wide egg noodles or 8-12 ounces Bionaturea sourdough wheat penne pasta (will need to add extra salt to taste if you use extra pasta)
• 2-3 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic or 2 heaping teaspoons minced garlic
• 12-20 ounces broccoli florets (may need to add salt at the end if using 20 ounces of broccoli)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 of a large white onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour, unbleached, unbromated or 3 tablespoons sprouted whole wheat or sprouted whole spelt works here too
• 1 3/4 cup chicken broth or chicken bone broth plus a little more at the end
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 pound cooked, shredded chicken breast
• 5 ounces Monterrey Jack or mild white cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1-2 teaspoons course sea salt
• 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 tablespoons shredded or grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup store bough Italian breadcrumbs or 1 cup homemade whole wheat sourdough Italian breadcrumbs

Directions

Cook egg noodles or any pasta in salted water in a large pot until al dente. Drain and set aside. Add butter if desired to prevent sticking.

Heat oil in skillet (or in the pasta pot to save dished) and add garlic. Cook on medium heat until golden.

Add broccoli to skillet (or pasta pot), sauté and then cover and cook on medium until soft, about 5 minutes or longer depending on preference. Remove broccoli from pot and set aside with the pasta.

Optional: Preheat oven to 375 degrees and use 1/2 tablespoons butter to grease a 9X13 glass dish.

Heat butter in the same large pot over medium/low heat. Once melted, add onion and cook until soft, 3-5 minutes.

Add the flour and a pinch of salt and mix well and let cook for a minute.

Slowly whisk the chicken broth in and let cook for about 1 minute.

Add the milk slowly, bring to a gentle boil and then simmer for 7 minutes, until thickened.

Add the shredded Colby jack cheese and 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese and mix well until the cheese melts. Remove from heat. Add 1 teaspoon course sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Add the broccoli, chicken and noodles and mix well.

Taste and adjust seasoning again. I had to add 1 more teaspoon of course sea salt and 1/4 more teaspoon of pepper. This could change depending on brands of broth, cheese and the type of salt used. My preferred Celtic sea salt is very course so I typically have to add more salt than recommended. Add a little more chicken broth if needed.

**I sometimes skip the baking step and just serve warm so if you skip baking, add the bread crumbs, mix well and serve warm.

**Also, if using 12 ounces of pasta, 20 ounces of broccoli, and 1 cup of homemade bread crumbs, you may need to add 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt.

If desired, pour into greased baking dish and cover with 2-3 tablespoons parmesan and 4 tablespoons bread crumbs if you haven’t added that already. I used homemade whole spelt crumbs, but store bought whole wheat would work well too.

Bake for 20 -25 minutes or until warmed through and then place under a broiler for a minute to get the crumbs crisp. Check periodically so it doesn’t dry out, you may want to take out after 15 minutes.

*NOTE: I typically make this during the day while my kids are at school so I have to refrigerate and then bake it. That works well too – just adjust your oven time accordingly.