Chicken & Kale Pasta Bake

I love pasta. End of story. 

It's seriously my most favorite food in the world. That being said I'm always looking for new pasta dishes. I recently came across this yummy recipe from Mix & Match Mama. I'm a newbie to the world of Kale. I'm not a big fan of it in salads so I thought I would give it in a try paired with my dear favorite food. Y'all this was SUPER  yummy.....like SO good! What made it even tastier is how easy it was to make. Check it out!

Shopping List 

1 onion, chopped (I used a little more than half)

3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 (3 oz) package of cream cheese (Kroger only had 8 oz. packages...just use half of it!)

1 cup chicken stock

1 pound cooked chicken, shredded (See below how I cook my chicken)

3 cups (a few big handfuls) of torn kale leaves 

1 pound pasta (Whatever shape you prefer)

1 cup of breadcrumbs or Panko

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (I didn't use any!)

2 spoonfuls of pesto (just eyeball it)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

*You can use a rotisserie chicken for this recipe. I cooked boneless chicken breasts seasoned with lemon pepper in my crock pot on high for 3-4 hours. Make sure to use either chicken stock or water to cover your meat. Super, super simple and fast way to cook chicken! 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute onion and garlic in a tablespoon of EVOO until tender (about 5 minutes).  Stir in soup, cream cheese, stock, chicken, pesto, and kale and bring to a bubble, reduce the heat to low and simmer about 5 minutes.  Add in a S&P.

While your chicken mixture is simmering, bring a large pot of water up to a boil and cook your pasta until al dente.

Drain your pasta and add it to your chicken mixture.  Pour everything into an oven-safe 8x8 inch casserole dish and top with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.  Bake about 10 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbly.

Remove from oven and serve.

Even better with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon ;) 

I enjoyed every bite of this wonderful dish. Please try it! You won't be disappointed.

I have decided to make a major change in my diet. I will now be gluten and dairy free. I did not make this decision to lose weight. I believe by removing gluten and dairy from my diet is a major step in allowing my body to feel the best it has in a very long time. In the next few weeks I plan to blog on my progress with this new aspect of my life. Until then, make this pasta dish!  Cheese and pasta..what more could you ask for? :)