This incredibly easy Creamy Italian Chicken Noodle Casserole is made with basil alfredo sauce, chicken, egg noodles and fresh garlic.
AN EASY, FLAVORFUL CASSEROLE RECIPE
Whenever I think of noodle casserole, I think comfort food. For me, I like a hearty and creamy casserole with either chicken or beef. I want to make it a whole meal in one! I also like to make enough so that I have leftovers for a couple of days. To me, there’s nothing better on a cold winter’s day than reheating some leftover chicken noodle casserole or Chicken Noodle Stew and warming up from the inside out!
TIPS FOR MAKING THIS ITALIAN CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE:
- Now, because we are dealing with real egg noodles here, we need to add plenty of sauce to our casserole. Even after pre-cooking the noodles, they will continue to soak up the flavor of whatever they are cooked with.
- You can use a bag of dried, wide egg noodles in place of the frozen egg noodles. You can usually find them in the same grocery aisle as the pasta. Do not add the milk since the dried egg noodles don't need as much liquid as the frozen ones.
- Can't find basil Alfredo sauce or don't like basil? You can just use regular or garlic Alfredo sauce. Or you can purchase the regular Alfredo sauce and a jar of basil pesto. Stir together the Alfredo sauce and ⅓ cup of the basil pesto together. Then continue with the rest of the recipe. Or you can just add in 2 Tablespoons of basil paste instead of the pesto. Basil paste is found in a tube in the refrigerated part of the produce section.
- For even more Italian flavor, try adding in 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- Reames® frozen egg noodles
- basil alfredo sauce
- milk
- chopped, cooked chicken
- minced garlic
- garlic-flavored croutons
- butter (optional)
HOW TO MAKE ITALIAN CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE:
Boil frozen egg noodles in a large pot according to package directions. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350f degrees.
Drain well. Turn heat off and place noodles back into pot. Stir in basil alfredo sauce, milk, chicken and garlic. Stir well.
Pour noodle mixture into ungreased 9×13-inch baking dish. Crush croutons.
Sprinkle crushed croutons on top of casserole. If you're using the butter, you can melt it at this point and drizzle it all on the top. This will give you a crispy brown topping.
Cover casserole with aluminum foil and bake at 350f degrees for 20 minutes.
Then carefully remove foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes (until crouton topping is golden brown).
Then serve. Optional: sprinkle some diced green onions on each individual serving.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Creamy Italian Chicken Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 24 ounce bag Reames® frozen egg noodles
- 2 (14.5 ounce) jars basil alfredo sauce
- 2 cups milk
- 3 cups chopped, cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken works perfect)
- 1 ½ Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 cups crushed garlic-flavored croutons
- ½ cups salted butter (melted) optional
Instructions
- Boil Reames® frozen egg noodles in a large pot according to package directions. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- Drain well. Turn heat off and place noodles back into pot. Stir in alfredo sauce, basil, milk, chicken and garlic.
- Pour noodle mixture into uncreased 9x13-inch baking dish. Crush croutons.
- Sprinkle crushed croutons on top of casserole. If using the melted butter, evenly drizzle it on top of the crushed croutons.
- Cover casserole with aluminum foil and bake at for 20 minutes.
- Then carefully remove foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes (until crouton topping is golden brown.) Then serve.
Notes
- The melted butter on top is completely optional. If you like a more crispy and golden top crust then add it.
- If you can't find Reames frozen egg noodles you can use another brand that is similar or purchase the dried bagged egg noodles usually found in the pasta section of your grocery store. If you are using the dried bagged egg or no yolk noodles, do not add the additional milk in the recipe.
- If you can't find basil Alfredo sauce. Just add 2 Tablespoons of basil paste (found in the produce section of your grocery store) and mix it in when you add the Alfredo sauce to the pot. Alternatively, you can buy a jar of basil pesto. Stir together the Alfredo sauce and ⅓ cup of the basil pesto together and proceed with the recipe.
- For even more Italian flavor, try adding in 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Leave a Reply