Cheesy Chicken Mac #SundaySupper

cheesy Chicken Mac
Cheesy Chicken Mac nestles little chicken meatballs between shells covered in creamy cheese sauce. Adding spinach, celery and onion kicks up the nutrition.
This week Sunday Supper cooks up hot lunch ideas for back to school lunchboxes.
back to school

When I was a kid, thermos soup was our hot meal choice. I was a big fan of chicken and stars but tomato was a close second.
Now children have access to microwaves and parents can purchase containers designed to transport and serve hot food for lunch.

Every kid I know, big and small loves mac and cheese. There’s a thousand ways, probably more to make this tasty dish. I think my favorite is Lobster Mac & Cheese. That might be a bit pricey for everyday lunch.

money-smiley

So I got to thinking about what else do kids like in their mac and cheese? How about meatballs?
Better yet, how do chicken meatballs with some veggies sneaked in sound to you? A little spinach, some celery and onion…yes that’s it!

 

Cheesy Chicken Mac

Cheesy Chicken Mac

Cheesy Chicken Mac #SundaySupper

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Serving Size: 1 cup

Ingredients

  • 2 cups shells
  • meatballs
  • 1/2 pound ground chicken
  • 1/4 cup finely diced celery
  • 2 tablespoons diced onion
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg (optional)
  • cheese sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
  • meatballs
  • preheat oven to 350
  • Saute celery and onion in 1 tablespoon oil until soft. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Set aside to cool.
  • In a large bowl, mix chicken, veggies (egg if adding) and enough bread crumbs to lightly hold mix together.
  • Divide into 18 mini meatballs. Brown meatballs in a large skillet in 1 tablespoon olive oil. (oven safe skillet is ideal)
  • Place meatballs in an oven safe pan. Cook at 350 for about 10 minutes until thoroughly cooked.
  • cheese sauce
  • While meatballs bake, add milk, cornstarch, butter, mustard, salt and pepper to a saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat stirring constantly. Remove from heat when sauce thickens. Stir in cheese.
  • Combine pasta, meatballs and sauce. Serve.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes
https://www.cindysrecipesandwritings.com/cheesy-chicken-mac-sundaysupper/

Cheesy Chicken Mac

Food for Thought…What do you like to add to mac and cheese to kick it up a notch? I’d love to hear your ideas in a comment below!

Sunday Supper Hot Lunch Ideas

Hearty Hot Lunches

Soups and Stews

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

This entry was posted in #SundaySupper, cheese, chicken, lunch, pasta, What's For Dinner?. Bookmark the permalink.