Baked Penne with Sundried Tomatoes and Chicken

By jdwooten

Each baking dish of this cheesy, mushroom-rich casserole serves four, so save the second dish for another dinner. When ready to cook, bake it straight from the freezer — no thawing required.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoon(s) butter, plus more for baking dishes
• Coarse salt
• Ground pepper
• 1 pound(s) penne rigate
• 1 teaspoon(s) olive oil
• 2 (8 ounces each) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, halved horizontally
• 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 2 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 4 clove(s) garlic, minced
• 6 cup(s) whole milk
• 10 ounce(s) white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup(s) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cup(s) (6 ounces) shredded provolone
• 1 cup(s) (4 ounces) finely grated Parmesan

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.

2.In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.

3.In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

4.Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with cup Parmesan.

5.Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

6.To make ahead, prepare through step 4; let cool. Cover tightly with foil, and freeze, up to 3 months. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, and bake (still covered in foil) on a rimmed baking sheet until center is hot, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil; bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.