She always knew what we loved and always had a story to tell. Grammy’s Noodle Bake is a treasured family heirloom that we’re ready to share with everyone. Loaded with egg noodles, tons of carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, lima beans, and an impeccably seasoned cream sauce, this dish of love is topped with sharp cheddar cheese and baked to golden-brown perfection. The story here is that Grammy’s Noodle Bake is a tradition-worthy meal that everyone is sure to fall in love with, just like Grammy. She sure is a good one! Share the love!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more, to taste, for greasing the baking dish
- 1 (8-ounce) bag extra-wide egg noodles
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated, divided
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 (8-ounce) carton mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup frozen lima beans, thawed
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 2 sprigs thyme, plus more, to taste, for garnish
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
Directions
Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Step 2 -Use the extra butter to lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Step 3 -In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook the noodles to al dente, according to the package directions. Drain the water.
Step 4 -In a large bowl, add the panko breadcrumbs, the olive oil, and 1/4 cup of the sharp cheddar and stir to combine. Set it aside.
Step 5 -In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of the butter.
Step 6 -Add the carrots, the bell peppers, the mushrooms, the lima beans, the onions, the garlic, 2 of the thyme sprigs, the salt, and the black pepper to the melted butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 6-8 minutes.
Step 7 -Add the ground chicken to the vegetable mixture and cook, while crumbling the meat, until the ground chicken is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 8 -Add the flour to the ground chicken mixture and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
Step 9 -Add the wine to the ground chicken mixture and cook until it has reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 10 -Add the chicken stock and the heavy cream to the ground chicken mixture and bring it to a simmer. Cook until it is just starting to thicken, about 2-4 minutes.
Step 11 -Remove and discard the thyme sprigs.
Step 12 -In a large bowl, add the cooked noodles, the chicken mixture, and the remaining sharp cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese has melted.
Step 13 -Season the noodle mixture the salt and the black pepper and stir to combine.
Step 14 -Pour the noodle mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the panko breadcrumb mixture.
Step 15 -Bake until the noodle bake is golden-brown, about 10-12 minutes.
Step 16 -Garnish with the extra thyme and serve.
