Hello Awesome: Baked Broccoli Tomato Mozzarella Pasta {Recipe}

Beauties, I'm realizing something. I'm starting to get addicted to trying new recipes and sharing them with you. Is that okay? As a stay at home mom, people always think I have unlimited time to create fancy dinners, clean the house from top to bottom and watch my favorite television shows all afternoon. To those people, I'd like to say...if your ice cream cone fell on the sidewalk, I would point and laugh in your face. Yes. I deal with things in a very mature manner.

Honestly, I have a blast being home with my boy. Now that he is over a year, I do have more time but I definitely don't want to spend it in the kitchen any more than I have to! Recently I started meal planning and it's been amazing. As I learn more and tweak how I do things, I'll be sharing any tips with you all. For now, please enjoy this incredibly delicious baked pasta recipe. This was added to the meal plan last week when I stumbled upon this post from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Y-U-M to the tenth power!

It was simple and easy. Do you hear that? It's the sound of moms everywhere cheering over those two special words. We all love pasta and with a picky toddler on hand, I'm always looking for ways to sneak in some good ol' veggies. As always, I changed the original recipe a bit to fit my tastes and what I had on hand. This casserole is flavorful with just the right amount of mozzarella cheese and luscious broccoli and tomato. The perfect warm meal for a chilly autumn day too, I might add.

Here's what you'll need:

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tomato, chopped
1 can chicken broth or 16 oz fresh broth
1 teaspoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup italian or plain breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup flour
1 bag frozen broccoli or 12 ounces fresh
1 box or 12 ounces penne or mixed pasta
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch glass baking dish.
Mix melted butter and breadcrumbs. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, sprinkle a little salt. Cook pasta al dente, about 1-2 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander, toss with a few drops of olive oil. Set aside in colander.

Rinse pot and bring to a simmer olive oil. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano and mince onion. Whisk for about a minute. Add broth and flour, whisking until smooth or flour is thoroughly mixed in. Stir in chicken and cheese, lowering the heat to warm.

Toss in the pasta and broccoli, stir until well mixed. Pour into the dish and sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top. Bake for about 15 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and the top is lightly browned. Serve immediately.