Creamy Chicken Noodle Bake

Another recipe from the December/January 2009 Taste of Home magazine. We had a Boy Scout meeting tonight and this was an easy recipe to follow. I was able to do up dishes while it was baking. I halved the recipe since it was just Jimmy and me eating it. Still have plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Jimmy ate two helpings of the dish. He told me it was one of his favorites!

Ingredients

4 cups uncooked egg noodles

1/2 cup butter, divided

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp white pepper

3 1/2 cups milk

4 cups cubed cooked chicken (I used turkey)

2 jars (12 oz each) chicken gravy

1 jar (2 oz) diced pimientos, drained (I skipped)

1/2 cup cubed process cheese (Velveeta)

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

4 tsp butter, melted

Directions

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, melt 6 T butter. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in the chicken gravy and pimientos.

Drain noodles, toss with remaining butter. Stir into chicken mixture. Transfer to a greased 13"x 9" baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.

Combine the cheese, bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle around the edges of casserole. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 12 servings (1 cup each)