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Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

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A family favorite, this recipe makes one baking dish for now and one to freeze for a ready-made dinner when you're pressed for time.

Source: Everyday Food, March 2009
Total Time Prep Servings

Ingredients

Directions

Cook's Notes

To Freeze: Prepare through step 4; let cool. Cover tightly with foil, and freeze, up to 3 months. To Bake From Frozen: Preheat oven to 400, and bake (still covered in foil) on a rimmed baking sheet until center is hot, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil; bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.

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Reviews

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How would you rate this recipe?
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  • jtosi
    8 FEB, 2011
    Disappointing! It took me 2 hours to make this dish...not the 35 prep plus cook that it listed. Also, it created a MOUNTAIN of dishes to clean. It was definitely not worth all of that effort! We thought that it was a bit boring and bland. I cooked my pasta for 6 min. which is 3 less than the al dente package directions and my penne was still overcooked once the dish was done. I used double the amount of chicken, garlic and sun dried tomatoes. Used 8 cups of milk and 8 tbsp of butter to sam
    Reply
    • ginnyenagy
      25 SEP, 2017
      Yas! This exactly--took me 2 hours to cook and a BUNCH of dishes to wash--and I don't have a dishwasher. 2 hours for a boring and bland dish.
  • ginnyenagy
    25 SEP, 2017
    What a waste of time for a bland and heavy casserole. I wish I had read the reviews--wanted to make something comforting for someone in the hospital. I also cooked the whole thing until I got to the note about freezing (that you don't cook it), so now I probably have a garbage casserole. That's on me. I wish I had read other's suggestions to add flavor. It is the weirdest thing--I cannot taste the tomatoes nor the mushrooms, not bc the sauce is so flavorful, but bc it is so thick.
    Reply
  • kchassier
    1 SEP, 2016
    I read the reviews, and was careful to taste test between each step. I followed the recipe EXACTLY, and noticed that the sauce was a bit bland as previous reviews stated. To counteract, I added about a tablespoon or so of dried basil and half a can of tomato paste---it made a world of difference! The basil added a complementary herbal note that I was looking for, and the paste added the acidity that this dish desperately needed. It made a 2 and 4 qt container full. Very good dish!
    Reply
  • YYZ_74
    5 JUL, 2015
    I found this recipe to be quite bland. I feel like something was missing, and I could hardly taste the sundried tomato. I followed the recipe exactly, no substitutions. I don't think I would make it again. My 13 month old loved it, so I'm glad that instead of freezing one large casserole, I froze in small foil containers (enough for 1 adult and 1 toddler in each).
    Reply
  • Scottmadison
    29 DEC, 2014
    I made this as the recipe stated, and thought it was great. Maybe if all you people who thought it bland would have followed the recipe, instead of substituting half the ingredients, it would have been a bit tastier!
    Reply
    • MS10811024
      4 MAR, 2015
      I know, right!
  • jdandkd1
    2 FEB, 2015
    This was a tasty recipe. It took a lot longer to throw it together than I expected after reading the recipe. I added about a teaspoon of red pepper flake, and it could have taken a little more to intensify the flavors. When I reheated some for lunch the next day, I decided that some coarsely chopped kalamata olives would brighten it up. And, I would cut back on the amount of flour to 1/3 cup or less, it became very thick and gummy with all the cheeses. With a few tweaks, it could be great.
    Reply
  • MS12088494
    20 NOV, 2013
    This is a family favorite- however we don't like mushrooms, so omit them. I love sundried tomatoes, but the kids don't love hunks of them- so I used to chop them up- BUT I have a new method- sun dried tomato paste- add it in without chunks but still adds the flavor. Of course not the same as actual ones- but more kid friendly. A friend said to me- this tastes like something you'd get at Olive Garden! I am not a fan of that place, but I took it as a complement- :)
    Reply
  • jSINay
    20 NOV, 2013
    Great recipe! It reminded me of Fetucinni Alfredo however so much lighter and less rich. It was delicious. I doubled the tomatoes and added Rosemary, Thyme, Basil & Oregano.
    Reply
  • thethons
    19 NOV, 2013
    I made this after reading reviews...mostly stating it was bland. I decided to add fresh chopped basil and use smoked chicken that we smoked ourselves (if you can't smoke one, Whole Foods has a smoked whole chicken you could purchase and debone) to amp up the flavor. The only other things I would change after making this.....1st, the sauce as WAY too tight ( I like saucy) ....I would use much less flour...2nd, use more salt...3rd, add toasted pine nuts. Tweak and it should be a winner!!
    Reply
  • Bean
    9 NOV, 2013
    I tried this. My husband thought it was really tasty. I thought it was bland. I do not like and did not use the tomatoes. I added bacon, 2% milk with 1/2 cup half and half (what I had on hand), and added a little mozzerella, a pinch of nutmeg, pinch of cracked red pepper, half a package of tiny shrimp usually for salad. We thought it could use more chicken next time. I would also add more mushrooms and some spinach. Even with the extra additions, still bland. Love that it makes 2.
    Reply

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