Let’s not call it a Casserole. Is there any word less sexy than Casserole? Instead lets call this a flavor party. When Broccoli, Chicken, Penne, Mushrooms and the life of the party cheddar cheese part’s together you get this one bowl flavor party.
What I like about this dish is that you have your protein, carb and vegetable all in one dish. Which makes it easy when it comes to meal prep and putting things together. For this recipe I used the trendy BANZA pasta which is gluten free pasta made from chickpeas. It has more protein and less carbs than regular penne.
For less calories, make with less cheese or less butter/oil since this makes up for the majority of the calories
Broccoli, Chicken, Penne Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta about 1 box
- 2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
- 1 large head of broccoli sliced into florets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small white onion thinly sliced
- 8 ounces mushrooms thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
Instructions
- In a large skillet cook chicken in 1 TBSP oil until chicken is browned on the edges and cooked through. Set Aside.
- Cook pasta in a large pot with salted boiling water until it is al dente.
- About 1 minute before the pasta is done, add the chopped broccoli to the boiling pasta water and stir until combined. Drain both the pasta and broccoli, and set aside.
- Heat oven to 400°F.
- Meanwhile, heat the butter (or oil) in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the mushrooms are cooked through.
- Sprinkle the flour evenly over the onion mixture and stir until combined. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add in the stock, and stir everything together until most of the clumps are gone. Add in the milk, Dijon, salt and pepper and stir until combined. Continue cooking the sauce until it reaches a simmer. Then remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheese until it is combined.
- In a large 9 x 13-inch baking dish, combine the cooked pasta, broccoli, mushroom sauce and chicken. Toss until combined. Smooth the casserole out into an even layer.
- Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Then remove the baking dish from the oven, sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese evenly on top of the casserole, and bake for 10 more minutes or until the cheese is nice and melty.
