One of the things I appreciated about this recipe was that it was written out as a double batch, one for now and one for later. I have never *DONE* freezer cooking (making days of food ahead so all you have to do is minimal prep and cooking each day) but would definitely give it a try someday when I have the luxury of a deep freeze. For now, I will put this one meal in the freezer for a busy day and be very grateful on the day I pull it out! Then maybe I will make another double :)
Anyway, back to this recipe. We don't do a lot of pasta, but we do enjoy it when we do. We try to stick to the whole wheat stuff to get a little more nutritional value, but in this case, I found the multigrain penne instead. I used some of the Pinterest authors substitutes (Italian mixed cheese instead of straight provolone, skipped the sundries tomatoes -- although I forgot to put in broccoli or asparagus in its place. We just ended up having Brussels sprouts on the side)
So although I burned the milk while checking on my screaming son in another room, and I added in the entire mount of cheese instead of leaving a cup for the tops, and I forgot the additional veg, all in all, it was not a bad supper at all! In fact, I think we will enjoy leftover day and I can't wait for the day when ALL I have to do is turn on the oven and pop that second baby in there! Or, perhaps, if I'm feeling super ambitious that day, I will take the opportunity to make bread sticks and salad to authenticate the Olive Garden feel ;)
Just in case you want to try it without following the link below, here's the recipe! I would recommend it if you like cheesy and pasta!
Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne
6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate (She used a 14.5 oz box of Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne Rigate)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each), halved horizontally
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
6 garlic cloves, finely minced (I only used three because garlic and I sometimes disagree)
6 cups whole milk
10 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced (I'm no mushroom expert, so I just used regular mushrooms, 8 oz)
1 cup sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained (optional, I skipped these)
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces) (I used an italian blend that had provolone in it)
1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If you’re going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and set aside.
- While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise. While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes). Use a little extra olive oil if needed.
- In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot , melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer. Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. ( this took longer than a few minutes for me)
- Take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes. If freezing, place remaining parmesan cheese in a zip-top baggie. If cooking, sprinkle on top.
- Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Freezer instructions:
To freeze, prepare through step 4 and then let pasta cool. Cover pan well with plastic wrap. Place extra cheese in baggie (for topping) on top and then cover entire pan well with foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. To bake, preheat oven to 400. Remove foil and plastic from pan and set cheese baggie aside. Place foil back on pan and bake for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil, stir pasta, and top with cheese. Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes (I only did 10 minutes) or until mixture is hot and bubbly throughout.
Pinterest source: http://realmomkitchen.com/1505/baked-cheesy-chicken-penne/
Also, sorry my picture is terrible --I got pretty lazy!! I also forgot -- this is a picture of the unbaked freezer dish.
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