Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Creamy Rosemary Penne with Chicken


This is a wonderfully creamy pasta casserole with a buttery bread crumb topping. I will give recipes for a small family (4 servings in an 8-in square dish) and a large family (6-8 servings in a 9x13 dish). I find this recipe to be very forgiving, meaning that you can adjust the amount of chicken, cheese, and onion according to your taste - or according to what you have available in your kitchen!


To cook the chicken required, I tossed it in my crockpot with a few tablespoons of Italian salad dressing. 3 hours later (on high) it was done - I chopped it up and assembled the casserole.



Creamy Rosemary Penne with Chicken (small family)
(Andy Knowlton)
serves 4

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cooked and diced**
1/2 lb penne pasta
1/2 cup Monterrey Jack or Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 of a medium onion, diced (about 1/3 cup)
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

** To cook my chicken, I tossed it in my crockpot with a few tablespoons of Italian salad dressing. 3 hours later it was done - I chopped it up and assembled the casserole.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook penne for about 5-7 minutes. Don't cook it completely - the pasta will continue to soften as it bakes in the oven. Drain pasta and return pasta to large pot.

To the pasta add: shredded cheese, diced onion, rosemary, salt, pepper, milk & soup. Stir to thoroughly combine. Spray an 8-in square dish, and pour in pasta mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine melted butter and dry bread crumbs. Sprinkle on top of casserole.

Bake 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. If bread crumbs start to brown, cover with foil.




Creamy Rosemary Penne with Chicken (large family)
(Andy Knowlton)
serves 6-8

5 or 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cooked and diced**
1 lb penne pasta
1 cup Monterrey Jack or Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups milk
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup dry bread crumbs

** To cook my chicken, I tossed it in my crockpot with a few tablespoons of Italian salad dressing. 3 hours later it was done - I chopped it up and assembled the casserole.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook penne for about 5-7 minutes. Don't cook it completely - the pasta will continue to soften as it bakes in the oven. Drain pasta and return pasta to large pot.

To the pasta add: shredded cheese, diced onion, rosemary, salt, pepper, milk & soup. Stir to thoroughly combine. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish, and pour in pasta mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine melted butter and dry bread crumbs. Sprinkle on top of casserole.

Bake 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until heated through. If bread crumbs start to brown, cover with foil.

9 comments:

Amanda said...

This looks delicious! Another great recipe from Andy to add to my "favorites" collection! I still make your pasta milano for Emma almost every week--it's her favorite thing to eat! Thanks!

Sarah said...

I can't wait to cook this up! It looks to die for!

Mandy Wollenzien said...

I really like this one. Yum! It even makes good left overs and freezes really well.

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious! It's on my menu for this week.

Anonymous said...

I made this last night and it was delicious. I actually cooked everything the night before and had it ready to pop in the oven when I got home from work. I made extra and put it in the freezer for another night. Hopefully it freezes well. I will put it in the fridge to defrost the night before I plan on making it.

Unknown said...

Yum! Thanks for sharing :)

em's scrapbag said...

I so want to try this. It looks yummy.

Kathy said...

Sounds delicious. I like your idea about cooking off the chicken in the slow cooker and then preparing the dish. I'll have to try it that way.

Janell said...

This has become a staple in my kitchen. My only modifications are to sautee the onions with diced chicken, and to use olive oil in place of butter. Delicious!