Spirals & Spatulas: Cheesy Chicken, Veggie, & Rice Casserole

I love this recipe. It can serve it crowd. It can feed picky eaters. It can be made ahead of time and frozen. It's easy to make for a family who just had a baby or something. I've made it four times in the last couple months, which is a TON for me (I normally don't like to repeat recipes)! It's tasty, and it doesn't even have any of those "cream of ____" soups in it!

Recipe adapted from here.
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, diced 5 stalks celery, diced 4 carrots, peeled and diced 2 tbsp minced garlic 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken meat works great!) 2 cups steamed white rice 2 packages Uncle Ben's w"long grain & wild" Ready Rice, prepared 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper, divided 1/4 tsp garlic powder 4 tbsp butter 1/4 cup flour 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 3 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Directions: 1. Heat oil in a really big skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, and carrots until tender (10-12 minutes). Stir in garlic and cook for one more minute. Stir in chicken, both rices, salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and garlic powder. Reduce heat to low. 2. In a separate medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour and 1/2 tsp pepper. Pour in chicken broth, whisking continuously. Whisk until thick and starting to boil. Stir in 2 cups cheddar cheese and stir until melted. 3. Pour cheese sauce into rice mixture, then transfer to a 9x13 baking dish. {if you want to freeze it, cover and freeze at this point - thaw before continuing} 4. Top with 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar. 5. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted through.