Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole is the perfect definition of comfort food! A perfect weeknight dinner!
You guys, I’ve had a song stuck in my head for the last few days. SO ANNOYING.
Primarily annoying . . . because I DON’T KNOW WHAT SONG IT IS!
I’m guessing that this is the definition of getting old. Having a song stuck in your head, or like the idea of a song, and not being able to actually remember the damn song.
So normally when this happens, and yes, I’m that old, it’s happened before. Normally when this happens, I have at least like a sequence of four or five words that I can google and get the name of the song and play it and then the incessant itching in my brain stops. But this time? No, not so much. Just the tune, sort of and like three words . . . that weren’t actually in ANY SEQUENCE!
(If it seems like I’m yelling about this it’s because I AM. I’m going all Louis Black on you.)
So I texted my husband in a huff, because seriously if it was going to keep me awake at night, it had to be dealt with.
Do I have more important things that I should be doing? ABSOLUTELY.
Anyway. I texted Nathan:
“I have a song stuck in my head but I can only think of the melody and not the lyrics and I want to listen to it but I don’t know what to google. It’s making me crazy. Google needs a feature where I can hum a tune into it and then it finds the song.”
He responded:
“There’s an app for that.”
Seriously. There is.
That bad news?
It turns out that if I had to save my life by humming, the results would be . . . . sad.
The good news?
If I had to save my life by baking a casserole that tastes like Chicken Noodle Soup, I would be made the Queen of England.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP CASSEROLE
Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole! The noodles are boiled in chicken stock to really deepen the flavor of the casserole and give it that traditional chicken noodle soup taste. Then I threw in some bay leaves for good measure, celery, carrots, and chicken (#duh). I made a nice roux to get it all creamy, added some cheese and baked her up. And my picky pickerson eaters crowned me the Queen of England. The End.
CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP CASSEROLE TIPS
- The noodles are cooked in chicken stock, I like just using chicken stock base, because it’s cheaper, so when the water for the pasta came to a boil, I just threw in like 6 teaspoons.
- When I tell you to slowly pour in the liquid after making your roux (the point in the recipe where you’ve mixed in the flour and are about to pour in the milk), I don’t mean a slow pour, I mean approximately a tablespoon of liquid, stir it in like crazy, approximately a tablespoon more and stir some more. That’s the only way to get the bad boy to thicken.
- Nathan hates onions, so this casserole has no onions. It should have onions. Throw in a diced smallish one with your celery and carrots.
- Make sure to taste the sauce once you add all the milk, that way you will know how much salt and pepper to add.
Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 oz fussilli cooked in chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 TBSPs unsalted butter
- 3 celery stalks diced
- 3 medium carrots diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 TBSPs all purpose flour
- 1 cup milk I used skim
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried basil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella divided
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 9 by 9 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cook the pasta in chicken stock with two bay leaves thrown into the water according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Melt the butter over medium low heat in a large sauce pan. Add the celery, carrots and garlic to the pan. Cook until the veggies are soft and tender.
- Add the flour to the pan, mixing it in to make a paste. Very slowly add the milk, approximately a tablespoon of milk at a time, waiting until the last bit of milk was completely combined before adding the next bit.
- Once all the milk is mixed in, add the thyme and basil. Then season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the chicken, cooked noodles, and and one cup of the cheese. Pour the mixture into the greased casserole dish and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
did you make this
Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole
Savanna says
Just about to put this into the oven and wanted to let you know that you didnt include when to turn the heat off the stove. Smells delicious and can’t wait to eat it!
Hi Savanna! I left it on right up until I poured everything in the casserole dish and sent it off to the oven :)
Sarah says
This recipe looks great and not too complicated for someone like me, who is not too experienced in the kitchen. I was just wondering what piece and quantity of the chicken you used to get 2 cups worth. Thanks, looking forward to trying this!
Hi Sarah! I use cooked chicken breast, about two breasts will get you 2 cups. But honestly you could use any part, or left over turkey!
Karen says
Just made this with our leftover Thanksgiving turkey and it was amazing! My toddler even gobbled it up. My husband immediately asked that it be added to our regular meal rotation. I did cheat a bit and use the Trader Joes mirepoix mix just to make it quicker. Perfect weeknight meal!
I’m so glad you liked it Karen!!
Beth says
Could this recipe be made without the cheese? My husband isn’t a cheese guy.
It definitely could be, Beth, but it might not be quite as tasty and it my also be a little bit dry after the baking, so I would likely just skip that step.
Jen says
Would substituting peas for the celery work? If so what qty would you suggest, frozen or in a can and if frozen, should I cook them first? Thanks!!
Peas would be a great sub Jen! I would use frozen, don’t thaw it, use about 1/2 a cup to a cup and toss it in when you toss in the chicken. Let me know how it turns out!
Heather says
How much chicken? Didn’t see that in the recipe. Says to add chicken and noodles
Hi Heather! It mentions in the ingredient list that it calls for 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
Brandy says
I am currently prepping for baby #3 and think this would be good, any suggestions on freezing and reheating?
Brandy, it’s been a while since I made this guy, but I think it would freeze pretty well. I also have a TON of soup recipes that I think would freeze well. Good luck with baby #3! I love having three!
Alex says
I tried this and it’s a new favorite of my family!
So glad you liked it!
Amy B says
Why do you use cheese, as that is not an ingredient usually in chicken noodle soup? Is it possible to make this without any cheese, or is it necessary for cohesion or flavor?
I used cheese because that is a basic ingredient in casseroles, and this is like a fusion of the soup and a casserole. You could definitely try it without cheese, I love experimenting with recipes, but I personally don’t think it would be as good.
Teralyn Pilgrim says
A friend of mine made this for me right after I had a baby. She assembled the casserole, wrote the cooking instructions on top of the aluminum foil, and told me I could keep it in the refrigerator until I was ready to cook it. So perfect. I had to get the recipe and now I make it for people who are sick or just had a baby, too. It’s easy to double the recipe, and you can freeze it, too.
I love this comment so so so much Teralyn! I’m so happy to hear you love this recipe and that you are passing it on!