Cheesy Baked Chicken, Bacon, and Mushroom Pasta

You know how in my last post I mentioned how I may be slightly incredibly busy lately? 


I think it caught up with me.


I have spent the last few days at home. Sure a couple days off of work sound nice, except that I have the worst cold EVER (I may be exaggerating, when I had the good ol' H1N1 it maaayyy have been worse than this. maybe.). Between the stuffed sinuses, runny nose, headaches, aches and pains in places I didn't know could ache and pain, and the inability to sleep at night due to coughing, I am a real treat to be around.


Apparently every once in a while your body forces you to slow down!  So I am going to take this chance and try to catch on my my blog a bit :) Sound good? Then I'll nap, I promise!

So here is a delicious pasta dish I whipped up last night in between naps and grabbing new bottles of Gatorade.  This is the ultimate in comfort food! Pasta, cheese, bacon, pretty much the best things in life all baked up in one dish.


This makes 3 - 4 servings. The original recipe came from what I had in the refrigerator, so I guess it came from me!


Cheesy Baked Chicken, Bacon, and Mushroom Pasta

• 6 - 8 oz dry pasta, cooked to al dente
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 6 - 8 white mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan
• 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken (cooked)
• 6 slices cooked bacon, chopped
• panko bread crumbs (optional)
• additional parmesan (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 375F and spray a baking dish with cooking spray (a 9" x 9" dish should be perfect)
2. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, cooking it until al dente 
3. Drain the pasta and set it aside
4. In a large pot or frying pan heat up the olive oil over medium heat
5. Add the diced mushrooms and onions and cook until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes
6. Add the garlic powder and give it a quick stir. Feel free to add more if you love garlic!
7. Whisk in the flour and let it cook for another minute or two
8. Add the milk, water, and cream cheese. Continue whisking while you bring it to a boil.  Let it simmer  while whisking occasionally until the mixture begins to thicken
9. When it has thickened, remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar and parmesan, stirring until all of the cheese is melted
10. Add the chicken, bacon, and pasta and stir well
11. Pour the pasta into the prepared baking dish and top with the bread crumbs and additional parmesan cheese
12. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the edges are bubbling and the breadcrumbs begin to brown
13. Remove from oven and let sit for a couple of minutes
14. Enjoy!

On the plus side, my husband did buy me these beautiful flowers to cheer me up!