Whole foods - Chicken Tetrazzini

I'm the first to admit that I'm lazy when it comes to cooking. I just don't enjoy cooking a delicious meal. I certainly enjoy devouring it though! So, due to said laziness, I normally cook from a jar, a can or a sachet, resulting in oodles of rubbish.

So I thought I'd give whole foods ago. It's better on all accounts: fresher, healthier and cheaper.

Monday night I made stuffed mushrooms with sundried tomatoes and fetta, served with rosemary and mint lamb sausages, and boy was it delicious!

Last night was Chicken Tetrazzini, and I took the recipe from the Whole Foods website (don't get me started on how I wish we had Whole Foods here in Australia). I never got to the baking stage though; J decided he was too hungry to wait so we ate it as pasta, and not a casserole!

Recipe:

Natural cooking spray
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 pound whole wheat or spelt angel hair pasta
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup low-fat milk
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups chopped cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
4 tablespoons finely chopped chives, divided

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes; drain well and transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, heat butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in peas and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer to bowl with pasta and set aside.

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth then slowly whisk in broth and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper and cook 1 minute more. Add milk mixture to bowl with pasta and mushroom mixture along with chicken, 4 tablespoons of the cheese and 2 tablespoons of the chives and toss gently to combine. Transfer to prepared dish, sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cheese and 2 tablespoons chives and bake until hot throughout and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes.

Waste? Only the plastic bag I froze the chicken breasts in, and the tiny wrapper for the chicken stock cube. I am going to start using ziplock bags to store my meat, and sanitize them after each use.

Tonight we are feasting on "autumn lamb casserole", also from the Whole Foods website. It's already cooking in the slow cooker, so it will be ready to eat when we get home from work. I love coming home to a delicious smelling house, with tea already cooked!