Chicken, Pasta, and Mixed Vegetable Bake

Okay, I know I'm not fooling anyone, this dish is actually a casserole. But I grew up eating waaaaay too many casseroles (sorry, Mom) so I have a problem calling anything I make a casserole. I hope that you will just humor me and play along and call this a "bake". Thank you! :) 

I made this the first week we were in our new house because I was short on time but hubby and I were hungry from all the manual labor of painting rooms and hauling boxes. We both enjoyed the creamy combinations of pasta, diced chicken, and veggies along with the breaded topping. It made a big serving so that we could both have the leftovers for lunch the next day. 

Chicken, Pasta, and Mixed Vegetable Bake
From allrecipes.com
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 cup dry pasta (any kind will do but I'm partial to bow tie)
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 chicken tenderloins cut into chunks (or 2 small chicken breasts)
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 tablespoon minced onion (I omitted this)
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups frozen vegetables (fresh would work too!)
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted


Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a medium baking dish. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken  and the celery in the skillet and season with the onion, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook until chicken juices run clear, about 5 minutes.

Mix in the cooked pasta along with the soups and mixed vegetables. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. 

In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and butter.

Spread evenly over the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.