I love me some pasta. Look no further than here for evidence of that.
This baked penne dish is among good company…and it can definitely hold its own. Tender pasta is smothered in a smoky mozzarella cream sauce and littered with delicious chunks of chicken, vibrant broccoli and tart sun-dried tomatoes. Topped with buttery bread crumbs and baked to bubbly goodness, this pasta casserole is uh-mazing. Perfect take-in meal for that friend or sister or neighbor who just moved, had a baby, needs an extra hand of help – or better yet, why don’t you give this recipe to a friend or sister or neighbor and tell them you really need it made for you asap. Yeah, I like that idea.
One Year Ago: Chicken Spiedie Sandwiches
Two Years Ago: Peanut Butter Crunch Snack Balls
Three Years Ago: Chocolate Scotcharoos
Note: See the asterisk below the recipe for make-ahead directions. Also, I’ve received several questions about the smoked mozz and where to find it. In my well-stocked grocery store it is by the mozzarella cheese – but then again, I am in Wisconsin, land of the cheese – I have also found it in the specialty cheese section (by the brie, feta, etc.).
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup bread crumbs (store-bought or make your own)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 bunch broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds), stalks cut off, florets trimmed into 1-inch pieces
- 12 ounces penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 6 medium garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3), trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 ounces smoked mozzarella, shredded
- 8 ounce jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped into pieces
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and butter and set aside. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make sure the oven rack is placed in the middle of the oven. In a large pot, bring the water for the pasta to a boil. Stir in one tablespoon salt and the broccoli. The broccoli cooks quickly so stay close! Cook the broccoli for 1 minute, until it is bright green. Quickly remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon to a plate. Return the water to a boil and add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 1-2 minutes less than how you would eat it normally (it will cook a bit more in the oven while baking). Drain the pasta in a colander and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Leave it in the colander and set it aside.
- Wipe the pot dry. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the flour, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and cream; bring to a simmer, whisking often. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 6-7 minutes. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and smoked mozzarella.
- Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce; stir to combine. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the casserole is bubbling and the crumbs are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
*The casserole can be prepared in advance with the following steps: after the broccoli is removed from the boiling water, plunge it into a bowl of ice water and cool completely. Assemble the casserole following the directions in the recipe. After the casserole is spread in the prepared baking pan, let it cool for 5-10 minutes before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating for up to 8 hours. To bake, preheat the oven to 375 and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Recipe Source: adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Cover and Bake
Made this tonight for company and it was fabulous! This will be a keeper. I used regular mozzarella and it was delicious. I would like to try adding a little procuitto next time to bring in some smoky flavor. Thank you!
I made this last week for my family – I halved it and it still made a full 8×8 pan, which is plenty! We thought it was delicious! Who couldn’t like the flavor of smoked mozz? It gives it such a unique kick!
I made this tonight for the first time, after stumbling across your website on Pinterest! Not having everything on hand, I improvised! I used ziti, asparagus, and smoked gouda! Still a very delicious recipe! My Italian husband gave it high praise! Thanks so much!
This was delicious! I was surprised at the lengthy prep time, but I’ll probably just save it for the weekends instead of a school night. Really tasted like a restaurant dish. I couldn’t find smoked mozzarella at my grocer either, so I used shredded gruyere and mixed it with shredded mozz. It was outstanding!! Also, I used the sundried tomatoes in the bag because I didn’t want to pay for the jar, and they worked perfectly!
I found you via Pinterest, made it for dinner tonight and I am in LOVE with this dish! I did make a couple of modifications because I am on Weight Watchers to try and make it a little more Points+ friendly. I still need to add it into my recipe builder to find out the points for sure.
Adjustments:
Omit Butter
Omit Breadcrumbs
Use Whole Wheat Penne
Used Fat Free Chicken Broth
Used 1% Milk instead of Heavy Cream
Added chopped mushrooms
Added some Red Pepper Flakes
Even using 1% Milk instead of Heavy Cream it was still very good…I’m sure it lacks a little of the original richness, but it makes it a little less guilty.
I cannot wait to make this again. It was slightly time consuming on the prep, but about half way through that I busted out the food processor instead of hand chopping and the rest of the prep flew by. I linked your recipe to my FB page. Delicious!
I just made this and the family loved it. Will definitely become a regular on our menu. thanks!
[...] Baked Penne with Chicken, Broccoli and Smoked Mozzarella [...]
Delish! I used smoked Gouda only because no store I went to had smoke mozzarella. Also used milk instead of cream. Really enjoyed!
I made this dish today, and it was delicious, but I agree with others who commented on the amount of preparation time involved. It took me 1 1/2 hours before baking time, and that is considerably more time than I usually spend. Everyone loved it, though, so I need to come up with some shortcuts. Anyone have any ideas?
[...] get much else done. Other than getting laundry finished, my biggest feat today was fixing one of our favorite pasta dishes. We don’t fix it often because it takes so much time and creates so many dirty dishes, but it [...]
This looks so delicious especially because theres smoked mozzerella in it
This was downright delicious! It made a ton, but my husband had tasty lunches for a couple of days, and he froze some too. Will probably half it next time, but other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing! Thanks!
Made this the other night – even with smoked mozzarella (had to search for it!). It was tasty, but a little dry – it needed more sauce. So – will use less pasta next time. And as others said, it is a great dish to help feed a crowd.
[...] I made this scrummy (scrumptious + yummy) pasta dish on Friday night. I found the original recipe here but I added a few of my own twists. Hubby loved it, I loved it and we had heaps for leftovers [...]
what if i can’t find sun dried tomatoes????????
i made this last night, fantastic! i used regular mozz just because i figured my kids and husband would prefer it, total yum!
I made this and it is my new FAVORITE! It is SO darn good! Even my little 3 year old said “this is the best thing I ever had!” Thank you for sharing!!
Ohhhhh my goshhhh! Just found this receipe a couple of days ago, and made it tonight for dinner!!!! It was FABULOUS!!!!! The sun dried tomatoes really made the dish stand out; and I just sub’d Silk Cream and reg mozz. FANTASTIC! Thank you so very much for a delicious and wonderful dinner!!!!
[...] Plan Monday! Monday: Baked Penne with Chicken, Broccoli, and Smoked Mozzerella This.looks.delicious. I’ll be using the free pasta from Target, cheap chicken from [...]
[...] fries. Cost: Under $5. Thursday: New Recipe Day! Chicken and broccoli pasta, from here again. Doubling the recipe fed everyone once, but I’ll probably cook another pound of [...]
[...] Pasta day! Chicken, broccoli and smoked mozzarella pasta. This is so tasty. Chicken was $1.69/lb at Randalls ($3.38), broccoli was $1 at HEB, pasta was [...]
It’s only a year after your last comments on this, but I had to say I made it last night for a new mom (found it through the post on new mom take-ins) and it was DELISH! One of my favorites of yours, and I’ve made a bunch. I couldn’t find smoked mozzarella, so subbed fresh; it may have been even yummier with the smoked, but I thought the flavor was still amazing. It’s a keeper!!! I can’t wait for lunch today … leftovers!
Made this today. It is AMAZING! Yum!!! Thank you Mel! I love the smoked mozzarella in this (even went across town to a different grocery store to find it – well worth it!). Also, thank you for the suggestion about adding a can of drained dice tomatoes if leaving out the sundried tomatoes. I left out the tomatoes this time because I didn’t have any on-hand, and I wish I hadn’t.