This Fresh Tomato and Chicken Pasta Bake combines all your favorite ingredients into one knock-out dish.
Fresh Tomato and Chicken Pasta Bake
2014-09-23 01:27:28
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
- 5 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (about 2 pounds)
- 2 1⁄2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3⁄4 cup chopped yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1⁄2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1⁄2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 4 cups cooked penne pasta (about 8 ounces uncooked)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Garnish: chopped fresh basil, chopped fresh oregano
Instructions
- Place a colander in a pie plate. Add tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt, stirring to combine. Let stand 30 minutes. Discard liquid.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook until softened, approximately 4 minutes. Add chicken; cook over medium-high heat until chicken begins to brown, approximately 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, pepper, and remaining 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt. Cook until tomatoes are heated through, approximately 3 minutes, stirring gently. Remove from heat; stir in cream and pasta. Pour pasta mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Loosely cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake 15 minutes. Uncover, and bake until bubbly and cheese melts, approximately 10 minutes more. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with basil and oregano, if desired.
Notes
- Salting the tomatoes and letting them rest 30 minutes draws out excess moisture, ensuring your casserole is rich and creamy.
Taste of the South https://tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/
This recipe is a WINNER! Kids and adults alike devoured it and wanted more. Delicious! Thanks for posting!
I sometimes change recipes according to what ingredients I have available. I have a garden and I have lots of tomatoes right now, too many to eat. So when I saw this recipe, I thought it sounded good. I didn’t have any chicken defrosted so I used frozen cooked Perdue breaded chicken breast tenders. I didn’t have fresh herbs so I used dried. I didn’t have any whipping cream but I didn’t want to use that anyway. I cut the chicken in chunks. I followed the recipe and used lots of mozzarella cheese. It was delicious!