Healthier Broccoli Chicken Casserole!

Ingredients:

-2 cups of cooked chicken (I just sautéed mine in salt, pepper and poultry seasoning)

-1 large head of broccoli, chopped

-4 cloves of garlic, minced

-1 small white onion, minced

-1 cup of chicken stock

-1 tsp of Dijon mustard

-8 ounces of Pasta (I used whole-wheat rotini)

-1/4 tsp of freshly cracked black pepper

-3 tbsp. of butter or olive oil

-2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese

-1 1/2 cups of milk

- White mushrooms, sliced

-3 tbsp of flour

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 400. While oven is heating, cook pasta in large pot with generously salted boiling water. When you see that the pasta is about a minute away from being done, add broccoli to it and stir until combined. Drain the pasta broccoli mix and set it aside.

2) Heat butter or oil in a large sauté pan on medium-high. Add onion and sauté for 3 minutes, then add mushrooms and garlic for 5 more minutes or until mushrooms are cooked through. Sprinkle flour evenly over the onion mixture and stir until combined then cook for 1 minute. Add chicken stock and stir everything until most of the clumps are gone. Add milk, Dijon, salt and pepper and stir until combined. Cook the sauce until it had reached a simmer then remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup of shredded cheese until it is combined. Taste and make sure it has been seasoned the way you like it.

3) In a 9x13 inch baking dish, spread out pasta and broccoli mixture and cooked chicken. Pour cheesy mushroom sauce over it and stir until combined. After fully combined make sure to smooth the casserole out into an even layer.

4) Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Then remove pan and sprinkle remaining cheese evenly on the top of the casserole and bake for 10 more minutes or until the cheese has completely melted.

5) Serve with extra black pepper and/or fresh herbs, if desired.