Ingredients
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2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
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3 1/2 cups water
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1 (1 1/2 ounce) envelope Knorr vegetable soup mix
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1 teaspoon salt
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1 teaspoon black pepper
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2 tablespoons olive oil
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8 tablespoons butter (divided into two parts) or 8 tablespoons margarine (divided into two parts)
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3 tablespoons white flour
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1 (8 ounce) package of room temperature cream cheese (softened)
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8 ounces sour cream
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1/2 teaspoon salt (for mushrooms & onions)
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1/2 teaspoon black pepper (for mushrooms & onions)
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1 (10 ounce) package of fresh frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)
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1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
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1 1/2 cups yellow onions, coarsely chopped
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3 cups cooked chicken (cut in bite sized chunks)
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1/2 cup roasted unsalted cashew pieces
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3 cups cooked farfalle pasta (aka BowTie pasta)
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1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
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6 ounces portabella mushrooms (coarsely chopped)
Instructions
- Cream the cream cheese and the sour cream together in a bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl blend the 2 cups of nonfat powdered milk with the 3 ½ cups of water.
- Add the envelope of Knorr Vegetable soup mix, the 1 teaspoon of salt and the 1 teaspoon of pepper to the milk and set aside.
- It is important to allow the dry soup mix time to reconstitute a little while you are preparing the other ingredients.
- Heat the Olive Oil and 4 Tablespoons of the butter or margarine in a large skillet or wok.
- Sauté the mushrooms & onions in this with the ½ teaspoons of salt and pepper until the mushrooms are slightly browned.
- Remove the mushrooms & onions from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain them on a plate lined with several layers of paper towels.
- Add the other 4 Tablespoons of butter or margarine to the drippings of the pan.
- When melted, stir in the 3 Tablespoons of white flour and stir while cooking for about 1 minute.
- Turn down the heat to medium low.
- Slowly add the milk/soup mixture and the parmesan cheese to the butter/flour mixture in the pan, stirring while simmering until the mixture starts to thicken to about a medium thin sauce.
- Turn off the heat and let sauce cool slightly.
- Add a small amount of the hot sauce to the cream cheese/sour cream mixture stirring well.
- Add all the cream cheese/sour cream mixture to the hot sauce and blend well.
- Add the mushrooms & onions to the sauce and blend.
- Add the spinach, chicken and cashews to the sauce.
- Turn the burner on very low to keep warm while cooking the pasta.
- Cook the Farfelle Pasta for about 13 minutes in about 2 quarts of hot boiling water.
- Drain the pasta and then add the hot pasta to the hot vegetable sauce.
- Pour all of the ingredients into a greased 13 x 9 baking dish/pan.
- Mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the casserole.
- Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Serve & enjoy.