A recipe from Pinterest...

I saw this recipe on Pinterest.

 It looked SO good. 

(really good, right?)

 

Here is the recipe: 

 I tweeked it a bit!!

Here is my version!

•6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
• kosher salt and black pepper
•1 pound penne rigate
•1 teaspoon olive oil
•2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each), halved horizontally
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
•6 garlic cloves, finely minced
•6 cups milk
•10 ounces of mushrooms.
• 1 cup sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
(The recipe called for sun-dried tomatoes...but they are expensive.  So I used a red pepper instead.)
•1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces) (I used an italian blend that had provolone in it)
•1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)

1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If you’re going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and set aside.

While pasta is boiling season chicken with salt and pepper.  I brown my chicken on both sides in a cast iron pan, then put it into the oven to finish baking.  I also add the red pepper in the oven.  Coat it with olive oil and turn over.  When its done let it cool and peel off the skin. 

Saute the mushroomsuntil golden brown (3-4 minutes). 

Use a little extra olive oil if needed.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot , melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer. Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and sliced peppers; cook 1 minute.
Take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes. If freezing, place remaining parmesan cheese in a zip-top baggie. If cooking, sprinkle on top.

Serve with toasted French bread!!

My family loves it!!

During the busy holiday season it is good to have something you can just pull out of the freezer and bake. 

This one freezes beautifully and is a good hearty meal!

Here are the Freezer instructions:

  Cover pan well with plastic wrap. Place extra cheese in baggie (for topping) on top and then cover entire pan well with foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.

  To bake, preheat oven to 400. Remove foil and plastic from pan and set cheese baggie aside. Place foil back on pan and bake for about 1 1/2 hours.

  Remove foil, stir pasta, and top with cheese. Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes (I only did 10 minutes) or until mixture is hot and bubbly throughout.