Chicken and Pasta Casserole with Roasted Veggies

Chicken and Pasta Casserole with Roast Veggies is a great way to combine all your favorite flavors into one creamy casserole!

*Disclaimer - This recipe was originally published in 2013. I'm working hard to update all my older recipes with recipe cards, new photos, and additional recipe information. But, getting to all of them will take time. Please bear with me. In the meantime let me assure you that this recipe is still a winner and one I'm sure you'll be well pleased with when you make it at home.

My favorite way to cook veggies over the past few years has been to roast them.

Roasting vegetables brings out an almost nutty sweet flavor and will even take away the sometimes bitter taste that some veggies have if cooked in other ways.

It is specifically for my love of roasted vegetables that I wanted to come up with a dinner that incorporated them into the meal instead of just a side dish.

 This is what I came up with and I must say, the results were delicious!

• *The method I use for roasting veggies is easy.

• Choose your favorites and cut them up into roughly 2" chunks (the veggies will shrink as they cook).

• Place them on a prepared baking sheet (I like to cover my baking sheets with aluminum foil but this is totally optional) and drizzle them with a bit of oil (I use a combination of olive and grape seed) and season them with salt and pepper.
• Using your hands, mix them up to make sure they're evenly coated with the oil and seasonings.
• Roast the veggies in a 425 degree preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the veggies become lightly browned. 

Before:

After:

You can now either serve these savory little morsels as a side dish or you can add them to the following recipe:

CHICKEN and PASTA Casserole with Roasted Veggies

         
Prep time:  30 minutes (including roasting)    Bake time:  15 minutes     Serves: 10-12 (great for leftovers)

2 baking sheets chock full of your favorite fresh, seasoned vegetables (approximately 6 cups) that have been roasted (I used carrots, red pepper, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower) *See the above method for roasting.
1 pound of shell pasta that has been cooked according to the package directions and drained.
1 rotisserie chicken with the meat removed, cut into bite-sized chunks. Discard the skin.
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (for tossing with the pasta)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ pound of baby Bella mushrooms (portabella) that have been stemmed and quartered.
1 cup light ranch dressing
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup of shredded Parmesan cheese

-In the same large pot with the drained, cooked pasta, add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the cooked chicken, all of the roasted vegetables, the red onion, garlic, mushrooms, ranch dressing salt, and pepper.
-Gently stir all the ingredients together and spoon it into a prepared 9x13 casserole dish.
-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
-Sprinkle the top of the pasta with the Parmesan cheese and bake for 15 minutes.