Ingredients
1 pound pasta of your choosing (we often use 2-3 different kinds - our favs are gemelli and cellentani)
2 pounds sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 in. cubes
1 large sweet onion, sliced and broken apart
6-8 large mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 in., sauteed in 2 T. olive oil (or use leftover chicken)
1 large head broccoli, cut into bit-sized pieces, lightly steamed
oregano
basil
salt & pepper
1 can evaporated milk or any kind of milk
Ritz crackers, 1 sleeve
Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F
Saute onions and mushrooms until caramelized (we find this takes about 15 minutes); add garlic for last 2 minutes; set aside.
At the same time, cube cheese, cook pasta and steam broccoli
Into a large cast iron Dutch oven or large casserole dish layer pasta, onions mixture, broccoli and cheese; adding salt, pepper, oregano and basil to taste to each layer
When layering complete, add evaporated milk; then add more milk till about 1/3 up the side of pan
Add crushed Ritz crackers over top
Bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes covered; then bake an additional 5-10 minutes uncovered to brown the top.
