Adventures of a Jayhawk Mommy: Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Ginny enjoying her pasta!

My toddler, Ginny, loves pasta! It is one food we can almost guarantee she will eat, no matter how it is prepared. Needless to say, we eat a lot of pasta at my house. Luckily, one of my DH's and my favorite foods is Italian. So, this means that her preference for pasta works for us. Our other favorite is Mexican. Ginny has already learned to love quesadillas, enchiladas, and Mexican rice. So, yay, us!

When I ran across the following recipe on Pinterest, I was thrilled. It is a combination of Mexican and pasta, Chicken Enchilada Pasta. In essence, I looked as it as a given that Ginny would like it. It also holds another of my essential requirements for cooking; it is simple to prepare.

Begin by boiling water for your pasta. You will want to add your pasta once you start simmering your sauce. Cook the pasta to al dente. I used one pound of penne pasta.

All the ingredients added and ready to stir together for the
sauce.

To get the dish ready, I minced up 1 medium onion and 1 red pepper. Following the recipe to a tee, at this point, I heated up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a deep skillet and then sauteed the onions for about 3 minutes. Then I added the red pepper and 2 minced garlic cloves. I let the vegetables cook for another 3 minutes. Once the veggies were nice and cooked, it was time to create the sauce. The recipe called for 1 tsp of cumin, 2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 small can of green chilies, 2 cans of green enchilada sauce, and 2/3 cup of red enchilada sauce to create the pasta sauce. (This sauce is why you must use a deep skillet.) Then add 2-3 cooked and shredded chicken breasts. Stir the sauce thoroughly. In the original recipe, the blogger said to shred up the chicken. I did not do that. I used pre-grilled chicken breasts cut up in chunks. I broke up the chicken further once it was simmering.

I will note, right here, that I found this to be more sauce than I ultimately needed. The next time I make this, I plan on using only 1 1/2 cans of green enchilada sauce instead of 2 cans.

The sauce after the cheese and sour cream had been added.

After the sauce has simmered for 8-10 minutes, you will add 2 cups of cheese, any cheese of your choosing. I used a combination of sharp cheddar and regular cheddar because that is what I had on hand. When I cook this again, I will try it with a Mexican cheese, like Queso Chihuahua, or even Monterey Jack. Let the cheese melt while you stir, then add 1 cup of sour cream. Stir it in and let it heat, but don't bring the sauce to a boil.

At this point, your pasta should be ready. Mix the sauce with the pasta, coat it well, and serve.