Two baking dishes, one for tonight and one for the freezer. Martha Stewart’s Baked Penne With Chicken And Sun Dried Tomatoes is a creamy pasta bake with mushrooms, provolone, and Parmesan in a homemade white sauce that feeds 8 people at 400 degrees in about an hour.
This is the Martha Stewart baked pasta recipe I make when I need to feed a crowd or when I want to stock the freezer without cooking twice. The sauce is a simple roux with milk, and the sun-dried tomatoes give it a tang that regular tomatoes cannot match.
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Two Pans, One For The Freezer
The recipe is designed to make two shallow 2-quart baking dishes from the start. You are not making extra on purpose, the recipe just yields that much because it is built for freezing half.
I bake one right away and wrap the other tightly in foil before it goes in the oven. On the night I pull the frozen one out I do not have to think about dinner at all, just preheat and wait.
Baked Penne With Chicken And Sun Dried Tomatoes Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 pound penne rigate
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (8 ounces each), halved horizontally
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 cups whole milk
- 10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces)
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan (4 ounces)
How To Make Martha Stewart Baked Penne With Chicken And Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Cook the pasta: Set the oven to 400 degrees and butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. Cook the penne in boiling salted water for 3 minutes less than the package says. Drain and put it back in the pot.
- Cook the chicken: Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook until done, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then slice thin crosswise.
- Make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the flour and garlic and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk while whisking and bring to a simmer, whisking often.
- Add the fillings: Stir in the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the provolone and half a cup of the Parmesan until melted.
- Combine and bake: Add the chicken and pasta to the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Split the mixture between the two baking dishes. Sprinkle each with a quarter cup of Parmesan and bake uncovered until golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let it rest 5 minutes before serving.
The Sauce Needs A Little Help
I will be honest, the base sauce is bland. White sauce with just garlic, salt, and pepper does not have enough going on to carry a whole baked pasta.
Now I add a tablespoon of dried basil and a pinch of red pepper flakes to the roux. I also stir in a spoonful of the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar, which adds color and flavor that the drained tomatoes alone do not give you.
How To Bake It Straight From The Freezer
Martha says to cover the unbaked pan tightly with foil before freezing. It keeps for up to 3 months and you do not need to thaw it first.
Bake at 400 still covered in foil on a rimmed baking sheet for about an hour and a half until the center is hot. Then remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes to get the top golden.
What I Serve Alongside
This is a heavy dish so I keep the sides light. A simple green salad with vinaigrette and a loaf of sourdough bread is usually all I put on the table.
If I am feeding a bigger group I add a caesar salad because it holds up while people go back for seconds. Nobody needs a starch on the side of a pasta bake.
If You Did Not Freeze The Second Pan
It keeps in the fridge for 4 days covered. The pasta absorbs the sauce overnight so it will be drier the next day.
Reheat slices in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or microwave with a splash of milk on top to bring some moisture back. I actually like it better the next day when the flavors have had time to settle into each other.
FAQs
- Why cook the pasta 3 minutes short? It finishes cooking in the oven inside the sauce. If you cook it fully before baking it turns to mush after 25 minutes at 400 degrees. Undercooking it keeps the penne firm in the final dish.
- Can I use a different cheese? Mozzarella instead of provolone melts well and is milder. I have also done fontina which makes the sauce even creamier. Keep the Parmesan on top either way because that is what gives you the golden crust.
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Nutrition Facts
(1 serving, serves 8)
- Calories: 580
- Total Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Cholesterol: 85mg
- Sodium: 620mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 58g
- Protein: 34g
Martha Stewart Baked Penne With Chicken And Sun Dried Tomatoes Recipe
Description
Two baking dishes. One goes on the table tonight and the other goes straight into the freezer for the night you do not feel like cooking. Martha Stewart’s Baked Penne With Chicken And Sun Dried Tomatoes is a creamy pasta bake with mushrooms, provolone, and Parmesan in a homemade white sauce that feeds 8 people at 400 degrees in about an hour.
This is the Martha Stewart baked pasta recipe I make when I need to feed a crowd or when I want to stock the freezer without cooking twice. The sauce is a simple roux with milk, and the sun-dried tomatoes give it a tang that regular tomatoes cannot match.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Set the oven to 400 degrees and butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. Cook the penne in boiling salted water for 3 minutes less than the package says. Drain and put it back in the pot.
- Cook the chicken: Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook until done, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then slice thin crosswise.
- Make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the flour and garlic and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk while whisking and bring to a simmer, whisking often.
- Add the fillings: Stir in the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the provolone and half a cup of the Parmesan until melted.
- Combine and bake: Add the chicken and pasta to the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Split the mixture between the two baking dishes. Sprinkle each with a quarter cup of Parmesan and bake uncovered until golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes.
Notes
- Cook pasta 3 minutes short: It finishes in the oven. Fully cooked pasta turns to mush after 25 minutes of baking.
- Add basil and red pepper flakes to the sauce: The base recipe is bland on its own. A tablespoon of dried basil and a pinch of flakes fixes it.
- Use the sun-dried tomato oil: Stir a spoonful of the oil from the jar into the sauce. It adds color and flavor the drained tomatoes alone do not give you.