Vegan Green Chili Chicken Pasta Casserole

The Flavor of Green Chili Enchiladas in a Pasta Dish

It's Sunday night and a new week begins.  And I have a doctor's appointment this week.  Maybe it just me but going to the doctor for my yearly physical makes me feel inadequate!  I should have lost weight but I didn't.  I should have exercised more but I didn't.  So I'm nervous and I need comfort.  And maybe a little adventure - something new and interesting that will take my mind off my troubles but not so adventurous and weird that it add to my stress.  And where do I find comfort?  In pasta - which is why I worry about my visit to the doctor.  I found a recipe -Green Chili Chicken Pasta but it wasn't quite what I wanted and it wasn't vegan.  I've taken the very basic recipe - there are many versions on the Internet, added some veggies, a little spice, and switched the chicken and dairy ingredients with vegan options.  With its creamy sauce, tangy but mild green chili flavor, and comforting "chicken" and pasta, even a non-vegan would enjoy this dish.

Recipe
Ingredients:

1 16-oz bag pasta, cooked al dente and drained

1 TB oil

1 cup diced celery ribs (2 stalks)

1 cup diced bell pepper (1 medium)

1 cup diced onion (1 medium)

2 cups diced zucchini (1 medium)

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)

1 TB chili powder

1 tsp Mrs. Dash Table Blend

4 Gardein Chik-n Scallopini, thawed and diced

1 can whole roasted green chili, drained and diced

1 16-oz container sour cream (vegan)

½ cup Vegan Mayo (light)

1 8-oz prepared green chili sauce (canned or bottled)

1 can diced tomatoes with jalapeño, drained completely

2 cups vegan cheese (cheddar, pepper jack or combination)

Crushed Corn Tortilla chips + 2 TB melted margarine

Directions:

1)     Cook pasta until al dente & then drain.

I used a combination of plain and spinach pasta ribbons
instead of noodles because noodles are usually made with eggs.

2)    While the pasta cooks, sauté celery, pepper, and onion on medium high heat for 5 minutes.

3)    Add zucchini and continue cooking for 5 minutes.

4)    Add diced “Chik-n”, garlic, jalapeño, and seasonings.  Continue to sauté mixture until vegetables are tender and slightly browned.

5)    Return cooked pasta to pan and add vegetable and “Chik’n” mixture.

6)    In the frying pan that cooked the vegetables, add diced green chili, sour cream, vegan mayo, green chili sauce, tomatoes, and cheese.

7)    Combine the pasta & sauce and mix.

8)    Place pasta in casserole dish.  Crush tortilla chips and mix with melted margarine. Top casserole with crush corn tortilla chips.

Since I didn't have any tortilla chips, I crushed crunchy taco shells.

9)    Bake in 350-degree oven covered 20 minutes.  Remove cover and continue cooking 10 minutes until casserole is bubbly and corn chips are lightly browned.