Friday Favorite - Macaroni Grill Penne Rustica

Friday, April 25, 2008, by Leigh Anne

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

“Feeding the people we love”

This Friday’s Favorite was not on the original meal plan for the week but when I received the phone call that our friends, The Kangs, had just had their SIXTH baby girl and asked if I could take dinner in - I knew what I would make.

This is my favorite meal to make when I am asked to take dinner into someone; first, because it is so good and second, because it makes a TON - and I mean a TON!!

I halved the recipe and had enough to fill two 9 x 13’s!! One for us and one for them.

LA Notes: When precooking the pasta be sure and cook it “al dente” so that it doesn’t get too soft after baking the dish in the oven. Don’t let the amount of cream used scare you too much (this is not a low calorie dish) - remember it makes a TON!

The Kangs loved it and asked for the recipe so I thought I’d share it with all of you.

Just had to share a picture of the darling Kang girls with my two girls - this was taken before Baby Lilly was born but you will know exactly what Lilly looks like when you look at her sisters - DARLING!

I found the recipe on the food blog Pimp My Dinner - remember I halved the recipe!

Ingredients:
12 oz. grilled chicken breast (marinate in olive oil and garlic salt overnight, then grill on barbecue for best flavor)
½ pack thick bacon
48 oz. (3 boxes) penne pasta
2 large red bell peppers- diced
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp paprika

Gratinata Sauce:
2 tsp butter
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 cup marsala wine OR 1/3 cup apple juice + 2 tbsp red wine vinegar +enough chicken broth to equal 1 cup
1 tsp dijon or dry mustard
1 tsp salt1 tsp chopped rosemary
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
8 cups heavy cream

Directions:
Sauté garlic in butter in large pan. Add marsala wine, mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and heavy cream.Cook pasta according to directions. Cook bacon. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces.Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, cooked bacon, bell peppers, parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly. Spread in pans. Top with chopped rosemary and mozzarella cheese.

Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.
Number Of Servings: Yields one 8×8 and two 9×13 casserole dishes.
Preparation Time: More than an hour

Popularity: 62% [?]

Related Posts:

Categories: Friday Favorites, Nourish, Recipes