Confessions from the kitchen.....

              My name is Jake Stewart, and I have a confession to make; I love casseroles. And furthermore, I don't care who knows it. There is something magical about a very long list of ingredients coming together in a 9" x 13" Pyrex pan. My mom didn't make many casseroles, but two of my aunts never met a casserole recipes that they didn't dominate. Casseroles remind me of potlucks at church. It's not spoken out loud, but having at least one good cook per family is almost prerequisite for being a member of the Church of Christ. This recipe is delicious and very easy to adjust to your own personal tastes. That said, I wouldn't change it because i already made it perfect. Enjoy y'all!

Baked Chicken Rotini Casserole

Ingredients 

1 pound chicken breast 

Italian blend seasoning 

Salt 

Pepper 

8 cloves of garlic 

1/2 yellow pepper

1 small onion 

1 cup chopped portobello mushroom 

1 can diced tomatoes 

1/2 can of tomato paste

1 teaspoon of Sriracha hot sauce   -  If you don't like heat, feel free to omit. (Panty waste)

1 jar Newman's Own Sockarooni Spaghetti sauce

1 box (13.25 oz) Barilla whole grain rotini

1 & 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 380˚

1 - Place chicken in a plastic bag, and use meat mallet to tenderize chicken

2- Coat chicken in italian seasoning, salt and pepper evenly on both sides

3- Using a garlic press, crush 4 cloves of garlic 

4- In a large sauce pan, coat pan with two - three tbsp of olive oil, add garlic and allow to simmer for one minute over medium heat. Add chicken and sauté on each side until lightly browned. 

5- Turn off heat and set chicken aside to drop temperature. Once cooled, chop chicken into small pieces.

6- Dice Onion, mushroom and pepper 

7- In a separate sauce pan, add two tbsp olive oil and set burner to medium. Sauté the onion, mushroom bell pepper until tender, about 10 minutes.

8- Crush remaining garlic cloves and add to the pan, sauté for about 1 minute. 

9- Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste and sriracha. Stir well. 

10- Add jar of spaghetti sauce, then add salt & pepper to taste, turn off heat. 

11- Boil 6 cups of water in a large pot, add two tbsp of salt to water. Once at a rolling boil, add pasta and boil for 7 and 1/2 minutes. Drain water and set aside. 

12- In a 9"x13" pan, add pasta, chicken, sauce and 3/4 cups of mozzarella and mix well. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cups on top.

13- Bake for 20 minutes at 380˚. Then switch oven to broil and set to 400˚, broil until cheese is melted. Allow to stand for 5 minutes and enjoy!