easy. kid-friendly. easy. yum. easy.
serves about five, so halve if necessary. i did.
Ingredients:
- 9 oz. shell pasta, dry (about 3 1/4 cups)
- 1 lb. rotisserie chicken, shredded/diced into small bites size pieces
- 12 oz. broccoli florets, diced into small bite-size pieces (about 4 1/2 cups after diced)
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder (I didn't have onion powder, so I finely diced about 1/4 of an onion....remember I halved the recipe.)
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups low-fat milk
- 6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 oz. Parmesan cheese, finely shredded (about 1/3 cup)
Directions:
- Boil pasta according to directions listed on package, adding broccoli during last 3-4 minutes of boiling. Drain well, but reserve 1/4 cup pasta water just in case you want to thin consistency at the end. DO THIS.
- Meanwhile, in a pot, melt butter over medium heat. This is when I added my diced onion, then cooked until soft and translucent. If you aren't using an onion, skip to next step.
- Stir in flour. Cook mixture, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Whisking vigorously, slowly add in milk, then season with onion powder (if using), garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook mixture, stirring constantly until it boils and thickens. Remove from heat then add in cheddar and Parmesan cheese and stir until melted.
- Add drained pasta and broccoli and chicken and toss to evenly coat. As it sits it will thicken. If desired, thin the consistency with a few tablespoons of pasta water.
- *www.cookingclassy.com