Chicken Farfelle Casserole

Ingredients

Casserole Ingredients

• 2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 (1 1/2 ounce) envelope Knorr vegetable soup mix
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 tablespoons butter or margarine (divided into two parts)
• 3 tablespoons white flour
• 1 (8 ounce) package of room temperature cream cheese (softened)
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (for mushrooms & onions)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (for mushrooms & onions)
• 1 (10 ounce) package of fresh frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)
• 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 6 ounces portabella mushrooms (coarsely chopped)
• 1 1/2 cups yellow onions, coarsely chopped
• 3 cups cooked chicken (cut in bite sized chunks)
• 1/2 cup roasted unsalted cashew pieces
• 3 cups cooked farfalle pasta (aka BowTie pasta)

Topping Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup roasted unsalted cashew pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

Directions

1. 1

   Cream the cream cheese and the sour cream together in a bowl and set aside.

2. 2

   In a large bowl blend the 2 cups of nonfat powdered milk with the 3 ½ cups of water.

3. 3

   Add the envelope of Knorr Vegetable soup mix, the 1 teaspoon of salt and the 1 teaspoon of pepper to the milk and set aside.

4. 4

   It is important to allow the dry soup mix time to reconstitute a little while you are preparing the other ingredients.

5. 5

   Heat the Olive Oil and 4 Tablespoons of the butter or margarine in a large skillet or wok.

6. 6

   Sauté the mushrooms & onions in this with the ½ teaspoons of salt and pepper until the mushrooms are slightly browned.

7. 7

   Remove the mushrooms & onions from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain them on a plate lined with several layers of paper towels.

8. 8

   Add the other 4 Tablespoons of butter or margarine to the drippings of the pan.

9. 9

   When melted, stir in the 3 Tablespoons of white flour and stir while cooking for about 1 minute.

10. 10

    Turn down the heat to medium low.

11. 11

    Slowly add the milk/soup mixture and the parmesan cheese to the butter/flour mixture in the pan, stirring while simmering until the mixture starts to thicken to about a medium thin sauce.

12. 12

    Turn off the heat and let sauce cool slightly.

13. 13

    Add a small amount of the hot sauce to the cream cheese/sour cream mixture stirring well.

14. 14

    Add all the cream cheese/sour cream mixture to the hot sauce and blend well.

15. 15

    Add the mushrooms & onions to the sauce and blend.

16. 16

    Add the spinach, chicken and cashews to the sauce.

17. 17

    Turn the burner on very low to keep warm while cooking the pasta.

18. 18

    Cook the Farfelle Pasta for about 13 minutes in about 2 quarts of hot boiling water.

19. 19

    Drain the pasta and then add the hot pasta to the hot vegetable sauce.

20. 20

    Pour all of the ingredients into a greased 13 x 9 baking dish/pan.

21. 21

    Mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl.

22. 22

    Sprinkle the topping evenly over the casserole.

23. 23

    Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

24. 24

    Serve & enjoy.