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Crazy mixed up pasta can be made to please any crowd!

It is summer time and that means Pot Luck dinner times at friend’s houses! I love this recipe because ANY of you can make it ahead of time and even my Gluten Free and vegetarian friends can enjoy it by making a few tweaks! I usually make this for kids when they visit using any type of pasta I have on hand. They love having them mixed together. You can make it ahead and freeze in smaller batches to stock the fridge for future meals. The cheese sauce also works well on its own for a quick Alfredo dinner or poured over veggies to add healthy saturated fats and fancy things up!

Crazy Mixed up Cheesy Pasta

Serves 8-10 recipe may be halved

Cheese Sauce

½ Cup grass fed butter

1 Cup full fat sour cream or yogurt or a combo of the two

½ cup yogurt cheese or home made cream cheese (optional for a tart flavor)

1 Cup raw whole grass fed milk or organic milk (not ultra pasteurized)

For an extra creamy version substitute ½ cup raw cream for half the milk

½ Cup Whole wheat flour (you may use corn starch or tapioca starch if gluten is an issue)

1 Tbs. dried garlic powder

1 Cup home made chicken, beef or vegetable stock

¾ Cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese

¾ Cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese or a combination

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper and cayenne pepper flakes (optional) to taste

In a deep saucepan with a lid, melt butter on low medium heat. When melted add the sour cream/yogurt and milk. If using the yogurt cheese, stir in and make sure it melts and mixes well in.

When the milk begins to steam, stir well with a whisk and whisk in ½ of the flour. Bring the liquid to a low simmer and then whisk in the remaining flour, the two cheeses, salt, pepper and spices. Continue to whisk until the cheeses are melted then turn to low heat and stir occasionally for about 20 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add in small amounts of the broth to gain the desired consistency. This sauce can be made very thick to stand up to pasta or thinner to pour over vegetables. It keeps well in mason jars in the refrigerator.

Now for the Crazy Mixed up Pasta!

This recipe can be made vegetarian and it can be made gluten free. Remember to eliminate the whole wheat flour from the cheese sauce if making if gluten is an issue and use a different thickener. Use rice noodles instead of whole wheat in this recipe to eliminate the gluten and of course, eliminate the chicken if wanting a hearty vegetarian meal! I fed this to my friends this weekend who are vegetarian and they loved it!

Serves 8-10 Recipe can be halved

Preheat oven to 425 Degrees

1 Lb. Pastured chicken breast, cleaned and cut into small chunks

2 Tbs. grass fed butter

2 Tbs. Tallow, lard or coconut oil (use the coconut if going veggie!)

4 Large stalks organic broccoli, cleaned, florets removed, stems pealed and sliced thinly

1 Tbs fresh basil or 1 tsp. dry

1 Tbs. fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dry

6 Cloves fresh garlic smashed and chopped very fine or ½ Tbs. dried garlic

1 Cup freshly shredded cheddar, Swiss, provolone or mozzarella or a combination

½ Cup whole wheat bread crumbs or home made seasoned bread crumbs

Butter for the pan

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Bag Trader Joes spiral whole wheat noodles or rice noodles or similar

1 Bag Trader Joes spaghetti or similar pasta (I have also made the recipe with Penne pasta for grown up dinner parties!)

In a large cast iron skillet melt the butter and oil on medium heat until hot. In a small dish, combine the spices and toss the chicken in the spices. Allow to sit for a minute if you are using fresh garlic, gently sauté that until golden in the pan and then add the chicken to the pan and cook until just done. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a covered dish and pour ½ of the broth over the chicken and cover.

In a large covered kettle, steam the broccoli with ½ cup broth and sea salt or filtered water and sea salt. You can use frozen organic broccoli for this dish as well. Once the broccoli is cooked, plunge into cold water to cool.

In a large stock pot, heat filtered salted water to boiling and cook pasta according to package direction until just done. You can put both types of pasta in the one pot and boil them together. When cooked, drain and briefly rinse with cold water. Return the pot to the burner and melt 2 tablespoons of butter and a dash of olive oil if you like. Toss the pasta in the butter and oil and set aside.

Grease a large lasagna pan or two smaller glass casserole dishes with butter. Pour in ½ of the pasta then drain the chicken of its broth and put into the casserole. Add the broccoli and make sure the chicken and broccoli are well distributed. Pour ½ of the cheese sauce over the combination and then top with the remaining pasta. Sprinkle on the shredded cheese and then pour on the remaining cheese sauce. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Cook uncovered in the 425 Degree oven for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the casserole is bubbling.  This goes very well with a spring mix salad with balsamic dressing.

This recipe is part of the 12 Days of Bloggie-mas,  Two for Tuesday Recipe Blog Hop Volume 3, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, Sundays at One, Italian Fest and Tuesday Twister at Gnowfglins. Please visit my Featured Blog Hop Recipe Page for other great Blog Hop recipes!