Italian Chicken and Pasta Bake

Submitted by NaijaCookingMama

"Main casserole dish, great for preparing ahead of time and freezing. Special note, to save time , buy a rotisserie chicken and jarred minced garlic to speed up prep time.Or buy a family pack of chicken and boil , then de bone and chop."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 8-10

ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3 cups cupped cooked chicken
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 (16 ounce) box bow tie pasta, cooked and kept warm

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a large baking or casserold dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until is tender. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes. Stirring constantly. stir in milk, diced tomatoes,and tomato sauce, cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until slightly thickened. Similar to making gravy from scratch.
3. Stir in chicken, 3 cups cheese,salt, pepper and sugar. Stir in pasta. Spoon mixture into baking dish, then sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.
4. bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.