Chicken Veggie Alfredo Casserole

-- Oven-Roasted Tomatoes --
3 Roma tomatoes, cut into 1" pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

-- Penne & Broccoli --
1 box gluten-free penne
1 large broccoli stalk, chopped

-- Sauteed Chicken --
2 chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
1/4 red bell pepper, cut into 1" strips
1/4 orange bell pepper, cut into 1" strips
1/4 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1" strips
1/4 large yellow onion, cut into 1" strips
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pat unsalted butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground mustard
crushed red pepper (optional)
dash of salt and pepper

-- Alfredo Sauce --
3 tbsp corn starch
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups fat-free milk
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
dash of tri-colour pepper (optional)

-- Topping --
1 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
oven-roasted tomatoes (as mentioned above)
2 oz Gouda cheese, cut into 1/2" long strips

Please note that, while any milk will work for the alfredo sauce, I used organic fat-free CREAMLINE milk. Your sauce may be a little thinner if you use plain fat-free milk, although it will certainly thicken while baking.

I opted to make my own oven-roasted tomatoes. These took me TWO HOURS to cook, so start them ahead of time! I'm including that recipe in the instructions for those of you who would like to try it.

I also made my own gluten-free breadcrumbs by crushing gluten-free bagel chips and browning them briefly in a little bit of butter (just enough to coat the bottom of a small skillet). It worked beautifully.

-- Oven-Roasted Tomatoes -- (2 hours)
Heat your oven to 350 F.
Place your tomato pieces in a bowl and drizzle them with the olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper.
Place them on a baking sheet.
Sprinkle minced garlic over them.
Bake for 1-2 hours, checking occasionally.

-- Penne & Broccoli -- (10 minutes)
Cook penne according the box directions. Include chopped broccoli while cooking.
After you drain and rinse in cold water, place the penne and broccoli in a large mixing bowl.

-- Sauteed Chicken -- (15 minutes)
Melt butter in a large skillet over low heat.
Add peppers, onions and garlic; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Season your cubed chicken with the garlic powder, onion powder and ground mustard.
When the peppers are becoming soft and the onions translucent, adjust heat to medium and add the chicken cubes. Sprinkle salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes, flipping and stirring.
When finished, add to mixing bowl.

-- Alfredo Sauce -- (10 minutes)
Melt butter in small skillet on low heat. Add corn starch and stir to form a roux. Set aside.
Warm milk in a medium pot on medium-low heat until steaming. Add roux and stir until integrated.
Add cheese and stir until melted. If necessary, increase heat incrementally to melt cheese.
Stir in minced garlic and black pepper.
Remove from heat and add to mixing bowl.

-- Topping & Baking --
Stir contents of mixing bowl to coat everything evenly with sauce. Spread in 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with gluten-free breadcrumbs.
Space oven-roasted tomatoes around the top of the casserole. Top tomatoes with strips of Gouda. Distribute remaining Gouda strips between tomatoes.
Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes or until Gouda melts.
Serving sizes are based on cutting square servings in a 3 x 4 pattern (3 rows of 4 servings).

Serving Size: makes 12 3x3 inch pieces

Number of Servings: 12

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user KLEINEANNOE.