Chicken & Broccoli Rigatoni Casserole

This past week it snowed in DC and it seems like there are frigid temps all across the country right now. Cold weather, snow, and gray days always make me want comfort foods! With a new baby at home I’ve been relying on foods that I know will have plenty of leftovers so that I don’t have to cook every night. Cue this chicken and broccoli rigatoni casserole!

This casserole has so much goodness going on. You start by cooking your pasta and chicken and steaming the broccoli (boring, I know), then you make a homemade cheese sauce that really brings everything together. The cheese sauce has so much flavor from the shredded cheddar cheese and I added in some cottage cheese to make it really creamy + to give it a little protein boost. The rigatoni really soaks in the cheese sauce so that it stays creamy even when baked. The thing that really ties this casserole together is the breadcrumb topping. I used Italian breadcrumbs because I love the flavor of them and I think it pairs really well with this dish.

This is the ultimate cozy dish and I hope you love it as much as I do!

Author: Leslie Bobo, RDN

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Chicken & Broccoli Rigatoni Casserole

This Chicken and Broccoli Rigatoni Casserole is a savory dish the whole family will enjoy. Tender pieces of chicken and steamed broccoli are paired with rigatoni pasta and a velvety cheddar cheese sauce. It's all tied together with a golden layer of crispy breadcrumbs giving you a mix of creamy cheesy goodness and a little bit of crunch!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. rigatoni
• 2 heads of broccoli
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb chicken tenderloins, cut into bite size pieces

Cheese Sauce

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1.5 cups milk
• 8 oz block of cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• Salt & pepper to taste

Breadcrumb Topping

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Wash and chop broccoli into florets. Steam broccoli on stovetop or in microwave and set aside.
3. Prepare package of pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside.
4. In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken to skillet and a dash of salt and pepper. Let cook about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until cooked through. Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside.
5. In the same skillet melt butter for the cheese sauce over medium heat. Once the butter is melted add in the flour and whisk continuously until thickened. Slowly start to pour in the milk continuing to whisk. Once all of the milk is added and has started to thicken whisk in the cheddar cheese. Once the cheddar cheese is melted whisk in the cottage cheese, garlic powder, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk a couple of more minutes and then remove from the heat.
6. In a large casserole dish mix together the pasta, broccoli, chicken, and cheese sauce.
7. For the the breadcrumb topping, melt the butter and then mix in the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the casserole and cover with foil
8. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the foil and bake 5 more. Broil for 1-2 minutes watching carefully so the breadcrumbs do not burn. Enjoy!

www.thegatheringpage.com/recipes/chicken-broccoli-rigatoni-casserole

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