Chicken Enchilada Noodle Casserole
Holy enchilada! Chicken, cheese, beans, corn, and noodles! It's enchilada flavor with pasta power, all in a casserole.
And believe me, it will get eaten up pretty darn fast. Especially if you have a 6 foot 2, food eating monster in your house. This recipe should make 8 healthy sized servings, but we barely squeezed 5 out of it. I guess that just means it was yummy.
Casseroles are quickly becoming one of my favorite things. I can prep everything in the morning, mind you doing it in quite a rush, pop it in the fridge and leave instructions for Adam to cook it when he gets home. This is a win win for both of us. Since he gets home earlier than me we will be able to have dinner without having to wait until 9pm, and when I get home dinner will be done so I can eat right away. Therefore ensuring that neither of us will be grumpy, or at least grumpy from hunger.
I chopped up some green bell pepper and onions and threw them in a pan with some oil and from there it was just the process of adding and mixing. Easy peasy. I had chicken breast tenders that I pulled out of the freezer the night before and the partially frozen texture made them easy to chop into small pieces and toss in the pan. Next, some taco seasoning, beans and corn.
Pretty, isn't it? Next, my favorite part - add lots and lots of enchilada sauce. YUMMY.
Toss this with some cooked whole wheat pasta shells and cheese and you've got yourself a mighty tasty casserole for dinner and some easy to reheat leftovers. Perfect for a busy week, which seems to be every week in my life.
Chicken Enchilada Noodle Casserole
6 - 8 servings
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
12 oz whole wheat jumbo pasta shells
1 green bell pepper - diced
1 onion - diced
1 jalapeno - seeded and diced
1 small can green chiles
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teas salt
1 pound fresh chicken tenders - cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 pack taco seasoning mix
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 15 oz can red enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mexican style four cheese blend
- Pre-heat oven to 350 if baking the casserole right away.*
- Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Heat oil in the skillet. Add chopped peppers, jalapeno, onions, and can of green chiles. Add 1/2 teas salt. Cook until onions start to turn translucent - about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add chicken to the pan with the onions and peppers. Sprinkle with the half packet of taco mix. Stir. Brown the chicken on one side. Stir. Brown the other side. About 3 to 4 minutes each side.
- Rinse the canned beans and drain the can of corn. Add to the pan. Stir. Add the enchilada sauce. Stir.
- Add the cooked noodles to a 3 qt rectangular baking dish. Add the chicken mixture. Toss / stir together. Fold in 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
- Top with the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Bake, covered, at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is nice and bubbly.
- Serve as is or with sour cream, guacamole, and tortilla chips.
*You can make this a day ahead and refrigerate until ready to bake. Take out of the fridge 20 minutes before baking to allow for the glass to get the chill off.
Peace, love, casseroles, and happiness!