Recipe Rewind: Chicken Noodle Casserole

When I got in my car this morning, my rearview mirror thermostat told me it was -3 degrees outside. MINUS THREE. I know in other parts of the country that’s pretty typical for this time of year, but here? Not so much. Brr.

And of course, because Ohio is crazy, it’s supposed to be nearly 50 degrees by next week. But in the meantime, what I want is comfort food -- something heavy and delicious to warm me up and fill me up on these frigid days. This chicken noodle casserole, which has been a favorite in our family for many years now, fits the bill perfectly.

I posed about this a few years ago in the early days of my blog, but it’s something that I make so much and that we love so much that I just had to feature it again with a (somewhat) better photo. To me, this casserole is the ultimate comfort food. It has such a wonderful homey flavor to it that I just absolutely love. It’s loaded with condensed soups and Velveeta, so it’s certainly not healthy…but swimsuit weather is a few months off, right? This is the perfect indulgence for a cold winter night.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

8 ounces egg noodles
1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces Velveeta cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of celery soup
1 pound cooked shredded chicken (a rotisserie chicken works perfectly for this)

2 cups crushed butter crackers
2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook egg noodles in boiling salted water (or chicken broth, to add even more flavor) until cooked through; drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté onion and peppers until onions are translucent. Add garlic and season with salt and pepper; cook and stir for 30 seconds.

3. Mix in Velveeta and soups. When cheese is melted, stir in the chicken, and combine the sauce with the noodles. Pour into a greased 13 x 9-inch casserole dish. Combine crushed butter crackers and melted butter; sprinkle evenly on top of the casserole.

4. Bake for 1 hour.