French Onion Pasta Bake

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour your pasta in a pot of boiling water and cook until al dente, according to the package instructions.

Step 2

While the pasta is cooking, cut the chicken into small pieces/strips. Sprinkle a pinch of salt all over them, as well as a pinch of dried herbes de Provence. Pour the olive oil into a saucepan over medium heat, then cook the chicken until it's no longer pink. Add the sliced mushrooms in, and continue cooking everything over medium low heat until the mushrooms are softened and tender. Temporarily set this mixture aside.

Step 3

Once the pasta is ready, drain the pasta and run under cool water to keep the pasta from sticking to each other. Set the pasta side.

Step 4

Create the bechamel sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour once the butter has melted, and stir with a wooden spoon to create a roux. After a minute, pour in the milk, onion layers, tiny pinch of cloves, and a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir everything over medium heat, just until the sauce is thickened to the point where it lightly coats the back of your wooden spoon. Remove the onion layers.

Step 5

To assemble, grease a 2 quart pan/casserole dish with a little bit of softened butter. Pour the pasta into the prepared pan. Follow with the bechamel sauce, chicken and mushroom mixture, as well as the green peas. Gently toss everything together to combine. Top with the shredded gruyere and crispy fried onions.

Step 6

Bake the pasta for 10 minutes to allow the cheese to melt, the onions to become even crisper, and all the contents of the pan to warm up.