Baked Cheesy Noodles w/ Chicken, Broccoli & Cauliflower

With winter finally starting to make an appearance, a good hearty casserole is needed to take the chill away.

(adapted from SkinnyTaste.com)

3 cups of egg noodles ( I use the No-Yolk brand)
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of light olive oil
1/2 a small onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, minced with press
1/4 cup of spelt flour
2 cups 1% milk, warmed up
1 cup chicken stock, warmed up (I make my own)
1 1/2 cups of shredded partly skimmed pizza mozzarella
1/2 cup of shredded old cheddar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 head each of broccoli and cauliflower or you can use frozen
2 roasted chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks
1/4 cup of finely grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs (I like to make my own with day old bread and dried herbs and lots of garlic!)
cooking spray

Cook pasta in large pot of salted water for about 2 minutes.  Throw in your veggies turn off heat.
Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray; preheat oven to 350C.
Add pasta, chicken and veggies to casserole dish.

In a large sauté pan, melt butter and oil.  Add onion and cook over low heat for 2 minutes, add garlic, making sure not to brown.  Add flour and cook for 1 minute or until flour starts to turn a light golden colour.  Add milk and chicken stock whisking slowly.  Turn up your heat to med-high and cook until it comes to a boil, stirring out any lumps you might have.  Season with salt and pepper.

When the sauce is thick enough, take off heat and add shredded cheese, stir well with a spatula until all the cheese has melted.  Taste for seasoning, adjust if needed.

Pour cheese sauce over cooked noodles and stir gently.  Sprinkle with bread crumbs and parmesan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown and the sauce has started to bubble.
Broil for 5 minutes if needed.

Enjoy!