Chicken Vegetable Casserole Lightened Up
This chicken vegetable casserole is packed with a variety of vegetables and lightly coated with a satisfying white sauce!
I packed this casserole with all my leftover veggies that I needed to use up. Instead of tossing them they went straight into this casserole!
Broccoli, red pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms are packed in this dish and instead of a wheat noodles I used chickpea pasta!
Every so often I’ll sneak in pasta that’s not made from flour and it’s been a nice healthy change!
This minestrone soup with chickpea pasta was a big hit with my family, and once again since there are so many yummy flavors in this dish no one noticed that I didn’t add regular pasta!
You certainly can if you would like though! In fact, you can also mix up the veggies with whatever you have in your refrigerator!
If you use broccoli or cauliflower then I recommend pre-cooking them for a couple of minutes. They’ll finish cooking up in the oven with the rest of the more delicate veggies like zucchini.
If you’re looking for a meal that will feed a crowd or want to make sure you have some leftovers for lunch (doing the happy food dance here!), then give this Chicken Vegetable Casserole a try!
Chicken Vegetable Casserole Lightened Up
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts cooked and diced
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 4 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 8 ounce pasta I used chickpea
- 5 cups vegetables broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, bell pepper, mushrooms
- 1/2 cup sharp white cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9 x 13″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat add butter and stir until melted. Whisk in flour until combined and a thick roux forms. Slowly whisk in the milk and stir until it thickens. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese until combined.
- In a large pot cook pasta according to package directions. During the last two minutes add the broccoli. Drain.
- Combine pasta, broccoli and remaining vegetables with chicken in the prepared casserole dish. Pour sauce over all ingredients and gently fold into the vegetables and chicken. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.
So good! I tried it with jack cheese and sneaked in a few minced cloves of garlic. Very tasty! Thank you for sharing.
Love that this casserole is loaded with veggies! It looks so good. 🙂
Looks great, Sandra. And I love that you re-purposed leftover veggies instead of tossing them. I’ve never tried chickpea pasta. Might have to see what that’s like! 🙂
This dish has my name written all over it! I love it!
I love all the flavors in this casserole! Sounds like a great dinner option!
This is definitely something my family would love to eat. I’m making my menu plan for the week and am adding it. Thanks so much. They usually really like the spices. What would you suggest? kick up the garlic, add red pepper flakes…?
I love that this is healthy and hearty Sandra! My whole family will love this!
Pasta dishes like this are a wonderful way to use leftovers, especially veggies. I haven’t tried chickpea pasta, but will look for it the next time I’m at the store so I can make your casserole. Thanks.
This is such a wholesome nutritious and delicious casserole dish. Love the chickpea pasta – I need to try this! Looks great!
I love casseroles, especially those that can be enjoyed for multiple meals, your lightened up version with the chickpea pasta sounds wonderful!
I love that there isn’t any cream of goo soup in this casserole 🙂 and the addition of Italian seasoning sounds delicious as well!!
Ha! I try to make my own sauces as much as possible! It’s so much better and not hard to make at all! Glad you approve 🙂
Love those recipes that are delicious and use up all the bits and bobs of veggies in the crisper. I think this one might actually fill up the boys.