Chicken Enchilada Pasta

It was pretty darn tasty!  Really it was.  The pasta bake was made in honor of a neighbor who just delivered her 12th baby!  Twelve!  And she's still alive, and doing well.  Cute little nub of a baby.  Perfectly round little baby cheeks, and lots of dark hair.  She was being adored by lots of brothers and sisters the day I visited.   They all had huge smiles of pride over their new baby sister.  I'd say she was downright beautiful:)  And lucky her, she has the same name as my oldest girl child.  We call her Mems for short.  She loves it.  It all comes from our oldest  child only being 17 months old when Mems was born and not being able to speak real well.  At night they shared a room and when Emma would start crying you could hear Jed yell, "Shup Mems!!!!"  I remember laying in bed laughing with my Jimmy as we heard this exchange.  Priceless little moments in time.  So Mems she's been from that day on.  An uncle or two will still pull this nickname out every once in a while.  It's cute don't you think?

Anyway on to the pasta.  Nothing feeds a hungry family quite like pasta.  I did double the recipe for the family I took it to and I think they had enough.  At least they said they did.  I hope they weren't lying:)  My family loves all sorts of pasta bakes.  They're pretty easy to make and can feed a crowd.    Usually all you need to complete the meal is a great green salad (you can see that salad on my previous post), and a lovely loaf of bread.  I kind of have an IN there.  So enjoy and remember you can always improvise.  Make it your own and take full credit for the deliciousness!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta Bake

3 or 4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded

splash of oil or butter to saute your veggies

1 medium onion, diced

1 red or green pepper, diced

4-ounce can diced green chilies

1 can Rotel Tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin (or you can add 1 T. of taco seasoning)

3-4 cups green chili enchilada sauce (I bottle my own Chili Verde sauce so I used most of a quart of that) 

1/4 c. sugar (I think the cumin is a little bitter and it needs a hint of sweet) 

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 c. half and half

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

16 oz. pasta of choice (I love Gemelli.  It's a big fat corkscrew shape, but any will work.)

1 c. more cheese

1 c. crushed tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the  pepper and cook for another 2 minutes, until pepper is barely tender.  Once the pasta is cooked I place it in a large Tupperware.  I dump in all the other ingredients now except for the half and half.  Stir until mixed completely.  At this point I place the pasta mix in a large creased 9x13 in pan or casserole dish.  I then drizzle the half and half over the pasta.  Sometimes I use it all and others I don't.  It all depends on how saucy the pasta is.  Cover with tinfoil and place in a 375' F. oven for about 30-40 minutes.  Make sure the pasta is bubbly and hot.  Remove from the oven and remove the foil.  Top with more cheese, crushed tortilla chips and return to oven until the cheese is melty and browned a bit.  Take out of oven and serve.  You can add chopped fresh tomatoes, olives, cilantro, green onions, or avocado to serve.  Even a dollop of sour cream would be tasty.