Sunday, May 13, 2012

Chicken, Spinach, and Noodle Casserole

    This is another of the recipes I found thumbing through a mag at the Doc's office.  This was easy, filling, and inexpensive to make, great for a week night supper.  We loved it so much that we ate it up before I could snap a pic which explains the magazine's photo : )
    Chicken, Spinach, and Noodle Casserole
    photo courtesy
  • Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups whole milk (I used fat free since that's what I had on hand)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • kosher salt and black pepper to taste (I also used about 2 tsps. garlic & onion powder, and approximately 2 tsps. Cajun seasoning)
  • 12 ounces egg noodles
  • slices sandwich bread (I used enough plain bread crumbs to cover the dish and doctored 'em up with a Cajun seasoning, crushed parsley, and grated Parmesan)
  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken
  • 5 ounces baby spinach, chopped (I used a bag of frozen, chopped spinach since, again, that's what I had on hand)
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme

Directions 

  1. Heat oven to 400° F. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until foamy, 1 to 2 minutes (do not let the mixture darken). Slowly whisk in the milk. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking often, until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the sour cream, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
  2. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the package directions; drain and return them to the pot. Pulse the bread in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a microwave-safe bowl.
  3. Add the milk mixture, chicken, spinach, and thyme to the noodles and toss to combine. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch or some other 3-quart baking dish, sprinkle with the bread crumbs, and drizzle with the melted butter.
  4. Bake until the bread crumbs are golden and the filling is bubbling, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe courtesy Dawn Perry,  March 2012, of Real Simple Magazine

** Many people commented that this recipe was bland so I really loaded in the seasonings.  I tasted it before it went in the baking dish, adjusted seasonings a tad more and thought it was great.

Sharing at:   Ms. enPlace

& for Southern Sundays at Slice of Southern blog

4 comments:

Slice of Southern said...

Yum! comfort food!! Thanks for linking up on Southern Sundays! Come back for featured recipes this weekend. www.asliceofsouthern.blogspot.com

Marguerite said...

Looks so delicious and easy, too! Thanks for the great recipe and for stopping by. Hope you had a Happy Mother's Day!

Michelle B said...

Thanks for linking up! Who knew a trip to the dr could result in so many recipes. Couldn't help notice the Cajun seasoning...yeah!

Michelle B said...

Your chicken, spinach, and noodle casserole was one of the top-viewed links last week. It will be featured tomorrow night when the new linky goes up!