Baked Penne with Chicken

This is a kicked up version of mac and cheese with chicken and veggies. You can easily double this for a large crowd or freeze the 2nd casserole for another time.

1 pound penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 cups milk
1/4 cup flour
pinch of nutmeg
2 cups shredded mozarella
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
10 oz of sliced mushrooms
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Heat a large pot of water to boiling and add enough salt to make it taste like sea water. Add the pasta and cook for 6 minutes. It will be only partially cooked at this point. Drain and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet and brown the chicken pieces, season with salt and pepper. Remove to a dish and set aside. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet and saute the mushrooms, onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked veggies to the chicken. In a medium sauce-pot, melt the butter or margarine over medium/high heat. Add the flour and whisk until combine. Slowly add the milk while whisking to prevent lumps. Season with salt and nutmeg. Stir unitl the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and add the cheeses and whisk until smooth, reserving a 1/4 cup of parmesan for the top of the casserole. Mix the pasta, chicken, veggies with the cheese sauce until combined. Pour the pasta mixture into the baking dish, top with reserved parmesan, and bake for 25 minutes. The top should be browned and the mixture bubbly.