Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Somehow May got away from me without posting anything and here it is June already. So here's a recipe to get me back on track.  I've been making chicken spaghetti casserole for several years and now it's a family favorite. It originally started when my daughter, Tabitha, volunteered me to cook a luncheon after church as a Bolivia mission fundraiser and had gotten the recipe from one of our church ladies.  It's really good, fairly easy and can feed a lot of people. Several of us met on a Saturday afternoon, got all the prep work done, making the casseroles and also tossed salad then all we had to do Sunday morning was to put the casseroles in the oven for about 30 to 45 minutes to heat through. We served them with garlic bread and tossed salad.  My husband, John, loved it so much I decided to make chicken spaghetti at home and of course added vegetables to mine.  I mostly just use chicken breasts since we prefer white meat but other times use a whole chicken.  Cook the pasta in the chicken broth and a little water for extra flavor.  My husband loves it so much that a couple of years ago he suggested I make chicken spaghetti for our Beckman family reunion.  Every summer the Beckman clan meet up at Clarko state park near Meridian MS and each family group is assigned a night to prepare dinner for the group.  We usually have around 30 people to feed at any given night. The 1st year I made the chicken spaghetti casserole it was a big hit so now it's my go to recipe. I change up the vegetables depending what's in season at the farmer's market.  I always precook them either by steaming in the microwave or sautéing in a skillet on the stove before putting them in the casserole except for tomatoes, I always add them in fresh before putting in the oven.  Here's the recipe:

Chicken Spaghetti

cooked chicken, either whole chicken or several breasts, saving

cooking liquid to cook spaghetti in

1 onion, chopped

1/2 c sweet peppers, chopped

1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c yellow squash, chopped

1/2 c zucchini, chopped

1/2 c eggplant, chopped

2 to 3 tomatoes, chopped

1 box spaghetti or egg noodles

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 T sofrito

1 t each seasoned salt, pepper, onion seasoning, garlic seasoning,

parsley,  poultry seasoning

1 bag shredded cheese

Boil chicken in enough water to cover adding fresh or dried herbs,

parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, seasoned salt and pepper until done.

Let cool slightly and debone saving broth. Cook spaghetti in water and

chicken broth until slightly tender. Sauté chopped veggies except

tomatoes or steam in microwave until tender. Combine soups, seasonings

and a little broth in bowl.  In large casserole dish, assemble cooked

chicken, noodles, veggies and fresh tomatoes (can also add fresh spinach or kale if desired), add soup mixture and  stir a bit, top with shredded cheese.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Enjoy,

Bamah