Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Penne Bake

This is another Martha Stewart freezer recipe. I'm learning that these recipes are some-what INVOLVED. But this one is deliciously worth it. The recipe calls for a lot more butter, oil, milk, & cheese then I wanted to use. So I cut it down to include the ingredients below. I LOVE sun-dried tomatoes. I used the kind with oil and I didn't drain it too much. But you might want to think about getting oil-free sun-dried tomatoes or getting the kind soaked in oil and then draining and drying them out. After cooking the dish it's possible to let it cool and then freeze it up to 3 months. I was able to make two casserole dishes worth of food. So it's perfect to eat one now and save one for later. If you don't want that much think about cutting the recipe in half.


Ingredients:
1 package of penne pasta
olive oil spray
8 oz boneless, skinless, chicken breasts or chicken strips

salt & pepper

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all purpose-flour
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups skim milk
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup italian pecorina romano

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Boil & cook pasta in a salted pot according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook chicken. Season with salt & pepper. Heat until cooked through.
In a large pot, melt butter and add garlic & flour.
Whisk together and while whisking add milk gradually and bring to a simmer. Whisk frequently.
Add tomatoes, cook for a minute. Remove from heat.
Add cheeses and stir in completely until melted.
Add chicken and drained pasta, season with additional salt & pepper.
Divide pasta between to baking dishes. (Feel free to top with parmesan cheese)
I chose to freeze mine so I skipped the next step and covered with foil.
Bake uncovered 20 to 30 minutes until top is golden & bubbling. Let stand for a few minutes, then serve.
If you choose to cook frozen heat in 400 degree oven for 1.5 hours. It should be covered and after cooking you can remove foil and cook uncovered for 15 more minutes.

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