
A Triple M Monday for you- this week is a veg head friendly set of recipes or at least a bit more friendly to those who don’t eat red or ground meat. Next week’s installment of Triple M will be anything but vegetarian friendly, as I take you down the Meat Madness road with (meat)loaves and (meat)balls, stay tuned…).
This week though, this weeks Triple M is all about Mushrooms-
Mushroom Pasta Bake and Mushroom and Chicken casserole.
A-maze-ING.
I can hardly wait to dig into these. My freezer is getting pretty full and I think I maybe nearing the end of my cooking spree- but I like that I have been able to crank out quite a number of meals for us and I might have to make a habit of doing this in the future. So satisfying.

So are ya ready for the Mushroom madness?
I will start you off with Mushroom and Chicken Casserole.The original recipe is from a Thanksgiving issue of Cooking Light and calls for turkey (as a means to use up all those t-day left overs). But since I only had chicken around I swapped it out, poultry for poultry, I figured. I used a canned turkey gravy that I happened to have stashed in the pantry (from who knows when) and I really like the Farmhouse brand rice (we use the Mexican and Spanish rice all the time) instead of Uncle Ben’s. Pairing this with the recommended cranberry sauce when serving sounds just about perfect. Next time I might add in some artichoke hearts or something fun like that.
8 ounces uncooked gigli or radiatore pasta
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 cup sliced shallots
8 ounces sliced shiitake mushroom caps
4 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Asiago cheese, divided
Cooking spray
Thyme sprigs (optional)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.
Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well. Set cooked pasta aside.
Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, 1 tablespoon thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 8 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add sherry; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
Place flour in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring mixture to a boil; cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat; add 1/2 cup cheese, stirring until melted. Add pasta and mushroom mixture to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine.
Spoon pasta mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
If freezing for later, cover in plastic, cover in foil and mark accordingly.
To prepare frozen casserole, thaw completely in fridge. Remove plastic and replace foil. Bake for 30minutes covered and 15-20 minutes uncovered.
If baking off right away, place in a 375° for 30 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.