Hello, dear ones!
Well, many of you are in the “back-to-school” swing, though that phrase connotes some sort of reinstating of an old routine, which is certainly not the case this year for many of you. I know meal planning may be even more of a stress with kiddos at home, so today I give you an updated (read: no canned soups) recipe of an easy, comforting weeknight classic my mom used to make for us when we were kids. This is also a really great meal to bring families enduring hardships or sleepless newborn days. I remember my mom typically making multiple at a time, admiring her greatly for it (she never loved to cook). And just to give you the kid-friendly seal of approval, my daughter absolutely loves this dish; we ate it for days after making it. Enjoy!
Amanda
- 1 medium red bell or Anaheim (for a bit spicier) pepper
- ⅘ medium tomatoes, chopped
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups shredded cheese (I used half gouda half sharp cheddar) plus more for top
- 1 pound dried spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces
- Meat from 1 rotisserie chicken (1.5 pounds), shredded
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked chile powder (Vecina Provisions' Pasilla Chile Magic), optional
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ cup flour (I used oat flour)
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup pasta water
- Boil a large pot of water and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Prepare the vegetables by chopping pepper, tomatoes, onion and garlic. Set aside. Grate the cheese and set that aside too.
- Cook broken pasta according to package directions, reserving about 1 cup of the water after cooking.
- Meanwhile, shred the chicken and start the sauce.
- Heat the butter in a large (preferably shallow) dutch oven. Sauté bell pepper, tomatoes and onion for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add salt, chile powder (if using), nutmeg and pepper. Stir in the flour and whisk until golden. Slowly whisk in milk and keep whisking until mostly smooth. Stir in (most of) the cheese with a spoon. Stir in pasta water to thin out the sauce as needed.
- Stir in shredded chicken and pasta. Top with remaining cheese and bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Serve hot.