Lighter Chicken Macaroni Casserole Recipes

CHICKEN MACARONI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add cream and 1-1/2 cups of the broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; add cheese; stir until melted. Add the macaroni, chicken, pimientos, salt and pepper. Add additional broth if needed. , Pour into a 3-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

DUMP AND BAKE CHICKEN ALFREDO PASTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
• In a large baking dish, stir together uncooked pasta, Alfredo sauce, chicken stock, chicken and garlic. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Uncover; give the pasta a good stir. At this point you should check the pasta to make sure that it is al dente (firm but with a tender bite). I have had good luck with the 30-minute cook time; however, some readers have noted that it required about 10 or 15 minutes longer. If it's still too hard after 30 minutes, just cover the dish and return to the oven until pasta is al dente. Then move on to the next step.
• Sprinkle mozzarella over the top. Bake uncovered for 8-10 more minutes (or until cheese is melted and pasta is tender).
• Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan or fresh chopped herbs, if desired.

LIGHTER MEDITERRANEAN PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Add to large bowl.
• In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Toss chicken with Italian seasoning and salt; cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (at least 165°F). Transfer to bowl with pasta.
• In same skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat; add onions and zucchini. Cook 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in artichokes, pasta sauce and whipping cream; heat 3 to 4 minutes or until heated through.
• Carefully add sauce to bowl of pasta and chicken; stir until well combined. Spoon mixture into baking dish; top with tomatoes, olives and Parmesan cheese. Cover baking dish with foil; bake 25 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.

ONE-DISH CHICKEN MACARONI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 3-quart baking dish. When the water is boiling, add the elbow macaroni and cook until very al dente, several minutes shy of the package cooking time. Drain, rinse and pat dry, then put in a large bowl.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms have given up their liquid. Increase the heat to boil away any excess liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the scallions, thyme and garlic and cook until the scallions are wilted, about 3 minutes.
• Sprinkle the vegetables with the flour and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until just absorbed. Pour in the chicken broth and half-and-half. Bring to a simmer and season with salt, pepper and the nutmeg. Simmer until the sauce is thickened and has lost the raw flour taste, about 7 minutes. Stir in the chicken, peas and carrots, and parsley and simmer just to heat the chicken through. Off the heat, whisk in the cream cheese until smooth.
• Pour the chicken and sauce into the bowl with the macaroni and toss well. Spread in the prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, toss together the breadcrumbs and parmesan. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the baking dish. Dot the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces. Bake until the casserole is very bubbly and the top is crispy and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

CHICKEN-MACARONI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• In a large skillet over med-high heat, saute onions in butter until onions are tender.
• Add in soup and 1 ½ cups cheese; gradually stir in milk.
• Cook over medium heat until cheese melts; stir in chicken and macaroni; taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Transfer mixture to a greased 2 ½ quart casserole; sprinkle with cracker crumbs.
• Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes or until heated through.
• Top with remaining ½ cup cheese and bake 5 minutes.

EASIEST CHICKEN MACARONI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Mix all ingredients together in an ungreased 11"x7" casserole dish.
• Cover and bake until macaroni is tender, about 55 minutes.

MACARONI AND CHEESY CHICKEN BAKED CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package, using minimum cook time.
• In 5-quart Dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Beat in flour, onion salt, garlic salt and pepper with whisk until thickened. Cook 1 minute longer. Beat in milk. Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring frequently; boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 3 cups of the cheese until melted. Stir in macaroni, chicken and frozen broccoli. Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese on top.
• In small bowl, mix bread crumbs and melted butter; stir until combined. Sprinkle over macaroni mixture.
• Bake 33 to 36 minutes or until mixture is bubbly (at least 165°F in center) and bread crumbs are browned.