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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Cooking Thursday


Here's a new recipe I tried last week.  I found this on Pinterest under freezer meals. It makes 2 meals - one to eat and one to freeze.  It was delicious!
For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.


Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

6 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper
16 ounces penne pasta
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoon dried garlic
6 cups whole milk
8 ounces thinly sliced mushrooms
1 cup sliced, oil-packed, sun dried tomatoes, drained
2 cups provolone/mozzarella mix (I used Sargentos)
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot (I just use the pot I cooked my pasta in), 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. take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
  4. 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.
  5. 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 or until mixture is hot and bubbly throughout.



4 comments:

Jenny said...

Sounds delicious. I love the idea of cooking once, eating twice. And thanks for asking about Aunt Linda. She's hanging in there, not having too much discomfort. She's treated herself to a few things from her retirement money, knowing now she won't need it. She's got a great spirit about it all. I hope to see her soon.

Life and Breath and Everything Else said...

I like the idea of making a meal for now and extra to freeze for a busy day in the future.

Nancy said...

I always love cooking things that I can eat one and freeze the other...This one sounds delicious...

Sandra said...

Oh that looks SO very good Mari, YUM!

I think my daughter would just love this one. :)