Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

Post-vortex February. The cold is still serious but the worst has passed and the school is back and Room 108 reconstituted itself on Monday as if it had simply been asleep for two days. Marcus came in with new things he wanted to say on his device — apparently the polar vortex had been communicatively generative for him. T. told me about watching movies with his family for two days. Rosa made it through the morning without a break. There is something about coming back after a disruption that shows you how settled a place is. We came back. We were settled.

Valentine's Day is coming and the school is doing a card exchange, which I have modified to be accessible — picture cards for students who cannot write, color-coded so everyone gets one from each person, no exclusions. This took an afternoon to organize but it is done and it is right. Nobody in Room 108 is going to spend Valentine's Day feeling like the kid who didn't get cards.

Made macaroni and cheese from scratch this week — a proper bechamel with cheese melted into it, over pasta. I had been making it for years from Patty's recipe: butter, flour, milk, shredded cheddar and Gruyere, a little mustard powder, salt, nutmeg. Baked with breadcrumbs on top until golden. Under four dollars for a pan that fed me three nights.

The first time I made it Patty corrected my bechamel technique. The second time she said it was better. The third time she asked me to make it for Christmas Eve. This is my fourth time making it alone in Pilsen and it is now mine — I can do the bechamel without watching a timer, I know when the sauce is the right thickness, I know the pan. Some recipes take a few years to fully belong to you. This one is mine now. I made it and I ate it and it tasted like something I know how to do, which is one of the best feelings there is.

That macaroni and cheese was the meal of the week — maybe the meal of the month — but the cheesy pasta instinct doesn’t stop there. Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti is the same kind of dish: something you make in one pan, something that fills the apartment with a smell that means you are home, something that gives you several nights of dinner without drama. If you are in the business of feeding yourself well on a real budget in a real kitchen, this one earns its place in the rotation right next to the bechamel.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

8 oz spaghetti, broken into thirds
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
1 can (10.75 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
Cook the pasta. Boil spaghetti in salted water until just shy of al dente, about 7 minutes. It will finish cooking in the oven. Drain and set aside.
Sauté the vegetables. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Build the sauce. Add cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, diced tomatoes with chiles, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, about 3 minutes.
Combine. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in cooked chicken, drained spaghetti, and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar. Mix until everything is evenly coated.
Transfer and top. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar over the top.
Bake. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 25–30 minutes, until the cheese on top is melted, bubbly, and beginning to turn golden at the edges.
Rest and serve. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving. It holds together better after a brief rest and reheats well for two or three additional nights.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti — The Comfort of Knowing What You’re Doing