Baked Penne with chicken and sun dried tomatoes

from martha stewart. i dont' have any pictures of this b/c it smelled so good eric couldn't wait to dig in. this was really really good. and it makes enough to freeze half and you can pop it into the oven from the freezer for a fresh meal later!

6 tbspn butter
s/p
1 lb penne pasta
1 tsp olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally
1/2 c plus 2 tbspn flour
4 garlic cloves
6 cups whole milk
10 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced (i know you don't like these but i wish you did cuz they are good in this pasta!)
1/2 c oil packed sun dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
1 1/2 c provolone (i used mozz cuz that's what i had)
1 cup grated parm

1. preheat oven to 400. butter two shallow 2 quart baking dishes. in large pot of boiling salted water cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente. drain. return to pot.

2. in large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium high. season chicken with s/p. cook until opaque throughout. halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise.

3. in 5 quart dutch oven or large pot, melt butter over medium. add flour and garlic, cook. whisking 1 minute. while whisking gradually add milk. bring to a simmer whisking frequently. add mushrooms and tomatoes. cook 1 minute. off heat , gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup parm.

4. add chicken and pasta to pot. season with s/p. divide pasta mixture between baking dishes and sprinkle with remaining parm.

5. bake uncovered until top is golden and bubbling about 25 minutes. let stand 5 minutes before serving.


to freeze: prepare through step 4. let cook. cover tightly with foil and freeze. to bake: preheat oven to 400. and bake still covered in foil on a rimmed baking sheet until center is hot, about 1.5 hours. remove foil and bake until golden 15 minutes more.




** this is sooooooo good and makes perfect leftovers!