"Go To" Chicken Casserole

This has become my "go to" recipe for chicken casserole. I can make this recipe without really thinking at all. Personally, I think every mom needs a recipe like this in their repertoire. It morphs and changes every time I make it -- very flexible. It has all the basic food groups in one dish. It's wonderful for using up leftovers, goes together easily and doesn't take a lot of time either. Best of all, as long as my kids like most of the veggies I put in, it's a family favorite.

Chicken Casserole
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:
The basic ingredients are: pasta, chicken, veggies and cheese. The amounts can vary depending on what you have on hand.

• 1 box of your favorite pasta - penne, rigatoni, mixture of leftovers, whatever floats your boat
• ~2 cups of veggies*: carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms, peas - again, whatever's on hand and makes your family happy
• ~ 1 cup leftover chicken, shredded or diced
• 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup (I use this recipe.)
• ~1 cup shredded cheese (mozzerella, cheddar - again whatever floats your boat.)

Directions:

1. Boil pasta according to package directions.
2. Cut up veggies to bite size; par-boil or saute according to preference; drain.
3. Preheat oven to 350°.
4. Shred or dice chicken.
5. Combine pasta, veggies, chicken, soup and cheese in very large bowl until evenly mixed.
6. Dump the whole mixture into 9x13 pan.
7. Bake 30 minutes.

Notes:
* If your family prefers soft veggies, then par-boil or saute them for ~4-5 minutes before mixing with the other ingredients. If they prefer crisper veggies, leave them raw.