Leftover Reinvention: Roasted Vegetable and Chicken Pasta Bake

Its that time again. Where I show you what delicious things you can make from stuff laying around in your pantry. Honestly, this is my favorite thing to do. I love puzzles... in fact... I played chess extensively growing up. Google me; you will find my Chess Federation records. That is right; number one nerd.

"Pantry Shopping" as I like to call it is taking things you have laying around, and getting inventive. For me, when I shop, I buy certain staples that I like to eat a lot. I imagine that you do much of the same. But, sometimes I see something funky, something I haven't tried before, and I buy it. Eventually, I use it and most of the time its when I am Pantry Shopping. This post is a also leftover reinvention because I had chicken breast and roasted vegetables from my dad's cafe leftover. 

2 cooked chicken breasts (mine were grilled)
3 cups roasted vegetables
500 g dry pasta
1 carton/ can condensed cream of mushroom soup
12 ounces goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

The first thing to a pasta bake is to get the pasta going. You want to cook it to almost done. This is because you are baking it in a sauce in the oven, which will further cook the pasta. The last thing you want is mushy grains. Yuck.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Next, dice up your chicken.I tend to like large chunks to ensure it stays moist in the bake, and also to make this meal hearty.

Get out a deep pan and place the chicken inside of it. You want something deep to help ensure that your chicken and vegetables dry out. You want a crisp top, not a crisp meal.

Next, its time to start on the vegetables. You can 100% use raw vegetables in this that you saute. I happened to have a bunch of roasted vegetables from my dad.

My bevy of veggies included tomatoes, asparagus, eggplant, zucchini, and leeks. I also sweated down some strips of onions, because...well... you should know by now... I LOVE onions! Just like the chicken, we want chunks of vegetables in this dish. I just rough chopped everything.

Put some olive oil in a big pan and turn it to medium high. Throw all the vegetables in a pan to get them hot and to start marinating all their flavors. You should cook them for about 5 minutes, stirring the veggies every so often. Also, make sure you are watching your pasta! Drain it whenever it is almost completely done, but has a little bite.

I started with the onions for a few minutes, as they were not roasted down like the rest of the vegetables.

While the vegetables are simmering, its time to add the cream of mushroom soup as a base to the chicken. This pasta is not super saucy. You will see later on, with the topping of the goat cheese, when you take a scoop of pasta, the mixture of the mushroom base and the goat cheese make a creamy sauce around the pasta. For this step, follow the directions on the box/can. This soup calls for adding one cup of equal parts water. Pour the soup and the water over the chicken, and stir.

Next, add the vegetables. Stir all the elements together.

Look at all the great colors using a variety of vegetables creates!

Hopefully by now, your pasta is complete. Make sure it is fully drained and then add it to the chicken and vegetable mixture.

Stir it around until everything is incorporated. make sure you have bits of chicken and veggies mixed in with all the pasta noodles for a delicious bite every time.

Taste it. Add salt and pepper if needed. Lastly, top the pan with chunks of goat cheese. Bake it for 25 minutes in a 425 degree oven.

Once the pasta comes out, It is time to eat! Scoop some out, stir around the goat cheese to create a creamy sauce for the pasta, and dig in. Enjoy! :)

Sidenote.... please appreciate this oober cute sudy distraction I have been having the past few days. Its hard to focus on work when you have a plump ball of warmth snuggling up to you.