White Chicken Vegetable Casserole

12 oz chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cooked as preferred, and cubed into 1/2 inch squares
4 T all purpose flour
2 T butter, unsalted
2 T Smart Balance heart right light
2 ¼ c. ½% milk
2 pinch pepper
2 t Italian seasoning
2 T parmesan cheese, grated
7 oz penne pasta, whole wheat
2 yellow or orange bell peppers, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
7 ounces broccoli, chopped
5 ounces mushrooms, chopped
5 ounces onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/3 c monterey jack cheese
1 T olive or canola oil
nonstick cooking spray

1. Cook pasta according to directions, leaving it a little al dente. During the last minute of the pasta's cooking, add the chopped broccoli to the water. Drain the noodles & broccoli and set aside.

2. While the water/noodles are cooking sauté onions, peppers, and garlic with 1Tbsp oil, before they are finished add in zucchini and mushrooms. Sauté all items together for a few minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. If you are cooking this the same night, preheat oven now.

4. Preheat large sauce pan (or you can use the same pot the pasta was cooked in). Place butter in pan. When the butter foams add flour and stir for 1 minute (do not let butter turn brown). Add milk and stir until it starts to bubble. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add pepper, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese to the sauce. Stir to combine. Remove from heat.

5. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients (chicken, pasta, broccoli, veggies, sauce).

6. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9 X 13 oven-proof casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place the mixture in the casserole dish. Sprinkle with the Monterey jack cheese and cover with foil.

7. Bake for 20 minutes; remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is melted. OR If you aren’t baking it now, let it cool for 20 minutes on the counter, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Cook for 40 minutes, remove foil and cook for additional 7 minutes.



Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user KAZINMICH.