Creamy baked penne casserole

Smoked cheddar with chicken sounds like the perfect meal to feed the entire family - try this delightful creamy baked penne casserole for tonight's dinner.

Serves
4

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

  1. Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling, salted water until almost tender (less tender than usual – it’s going to keep getting tender in the oven!), 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain and rinse well with cold running water.
  2. Melt butter in a medium pot over medium. Whisk in flour and cook about 15 sec. Whisk in mustard powder. Whisk in chicken broth, about ½ cup at a time, incorporating fully before adding more. Cook until thickened, about 5 min, stirring often.
  3. Whisk in 2 cups of the cheese and salt. When cheese is melted, stir in chicken. Remove from heat and stir in penne.
  4. Scrape into an 8 x 8-inch baking dish and smooth out the top.
  5. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let cool completely then cover with foil. Freeze up to 1 week.
  6. Place the frozen dish in the oven then heat to 325F.
  7. Bake 40 min, then remove foil and bake another 10 min or until bubbly and very hot.
  8. Broil for a few minutes at the end, if you like, to get the top more brown.