Tasty Tuesday Chicken/Cheese Pasta Perfecto!

Okay, a disclaimer before I begin:  I wouldn't exactly call this pasta "perfecto", but I just needed a good "p" word, and that was the first one to pop into my little brain.  My brain has shriveled a bit over the last two days of abrupt awakening.  There is a strong battle going on between my feelings and my logic due to this.  I feel like going to bed right now for the night, but my logic tells me I must complete my day first.  Plus the new season of The Biggest Loser starts tonight, and I must watch that and have a good cry.  It looks so good.

Since I'm now doing the Multitudes on Mondays postings, my Monday Menu has been bumped.  Now I'm free to just post random recipes when the mood strikes.  Apparently, the mood has struck.

Anyway, I made this pasta yesterday.  It's an old recipe that I relied on a lot back in the day.  My kids loved this as toddlers, and for some reason I got a craving for it yesterday.  It was still a big hit.  4 out of 5 of us packed it for lunches today, so there's a good testament.  Just a warning that it does not belong in the New Year's Resolution "I'm-going-to-eat-healthy" recipe section, but for those of us who did not make that resolution, it's a great one.  And no picture, sorry.  Just picture a chicken spaghetti type casserole with very little color.  And if you want it more colorful, saute some red pepper with the onion, mix in some chopped tomatoes, or maybe some steamed broccoli, or asparagus, or add some cilantro or whatever turns your crank!


Chicken/Cheese Pasta (Perfecto!)

12 oz. spaghetti, cooked according to package
5 cups cooked chicken (I just pulled all the chicken off a Costco rotisserie chicken and called it good.)
3 TBSP butter
1 small onion, diced
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup (or 1 each mushroom/cream of chicken)
1 soup can of milk
3-4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used Colby/Jack)

Melt butter in small skillet.  Add onion (and peppers, if using) and cook for a few minutes until nice a soft. 

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Salt and pepper to taste, if desired.  (I don't because there's enough sodium in the soup to last you all day.) 

Pour into a 9x13 baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.  Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.  This can also be put into two 8x8 pans if you want to bake smaller portions.  It freezes great, too.  Just assemble it and freeze before baking. 

Serve with some hot garlic bread.

Just an added bonus for fun:  this is one of my favorite pictures of Brenna.  The combination of bed-head, plastic bead necklace, poking out belly, diaper, knock-knees, and fancy shoes is a perfect recipe for preciousness!