Chicken Spaghetti for a Crowd

Every year over Labor Day weekend, my extended family has a big get-together at the beach.  Each family is in charge of a dinner on a particular night.  This year I decided to make chicken spaghetti.  It's easy, makes a ton and it freezes well, which allowed me to make it ahead of time.  Also, it's very economical to make for a large group.  I was able to feed about 25 people for under $15.

Chicken Spaghetti for a Crowd

Adapted from this recipe on TasteofHome.com

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Serves: 10-12

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cooked chicken, cubed
• 2 cans (10 3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped
• 2 tbsp. dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 lb. Velvetta, cubed
• 1 package (12 oz.) spaghetti, cooked and drained
• 1 can (2 1/4 oz.) sliced olives, optional

Directions:

1. In a medium skillet, saute the green pepper, onion and celery in 2 tbsp. of butter or olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes.
2. In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine the sauteed veggies, cooked chicken, mushroom soup, chicken broth, parsley, salt, pepper and Velvetta over medium low heat.  Stir until cheese has melted.  Add the spaghetti, and olives is desired.  
3. Pour into a greased 11 x 13 baking dish.  Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes.  Uncover and bake another 10 minutes.

Notes & Suggestions:

I used my Boiled Chicken recipe to make the chicken for this.  I was also able to reserve 2 1/2 cups of the chicken broth from the boiled chicken to use in this recipe.  I used the rest of the chicken broth to cook the spaghetti in, which gave it a lot of flavor.

I used 1/2 the amount of Velvetta the recipe called for because I had some people in the crowd that weren't big cheese lovers.  You can use any other kind of cheese if you don't like Velvetta.  It just may not be as creamy.

For a little kick, you can add in 1 can of Rotel.

This can be frozen for up to 3 months.  Make as directed but don't bake.  Freeze, then thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours.  Bake as directed.