Chicken Spaghetti--No Velveeta or Cream Soups

Submitted by Bobbin

"I was looking for a Chicken Spaghetti recipe that did not have velveeta or cream soups. When I couldn't find one after 30 min of searching, I decided to make my own. Here it is. The cheese sauce still makes it very creamy like the one you are used to. When my kids ate it, they all said it was yummy and went back for seconds and thirds."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 19
• Yields: 1 casserole
• Serves: 10

ingredients

• 1 (13 ounce) can chicken breasts, chopped (or 1-2 diced chicken breasts)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon thyme
• 1⁄2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (4 ounce) canned diced green chiles (mild)
• 1 (13 1/4 ounce) package whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
• 3⁄4 cup milk, divided
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1⁄8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat oil in a skillet. Add chicken, onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Sautee for about 5 minutes or until veggies are tender.
3. Add tomatoes, chiles, salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano. Let simmer while you do other steps.
4. Boil spaghetti until al dente (about 6 minutes).
5. While spaghetti is cooking, in a medium saucepan cook evaporated milk, 1/2 c of the milk, ground mustard, garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Stir regularly as it will stick to bottom of pan.
6. Whisk the cornstarch and the remaining 1/4 c of milk together. Then, whisk it into the simmering mixture. Continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until the sauce has thickened and is smooth, about 2 minutes.
7. Off the heat, gradually whisk in the grated cheese until melted and smooth.
8. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with nonstick spray. Mix the drained spaghetti, chicken/tomato mixture, and cheese sauce. You could probably eat it at this point, but I chose to cook mine in the oven for 20 minutes.

Reviews

[SUSAN F.]

I'll be darned if this sauce doesn't taste like Velveeta! Don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing ;) However, it's what we all love about chicken spaghettti. This recipe seemed a bit labor intensive, but I think it will go easier the next time I try it. I added quite a bit more salt because it seemed kind of bland without it. I also seasoned with some cayenne to give it a kick. The recommended amount of pasta was a bit too much for us, so I cut back a little. My family really liked this, and it's a good alternative for folks who don't like using processed ingredients such as Velveeta or cream soups.