Baked Penne Pasta with Mushroom Marinara and Chicken
I saw this baked penne pasta with mushroom marinara and chicken recipe on Smoky Mountain Cafe that reminded me of a dish my dear friend Joy made for me a few summers ago. I made a mushroom marinara before making the casserole, but you can use store-bought if you’d prefer. This easy baked pasta recipe was a big hit with everyone and paired nicely with my house salad and freshly baked bread.
Baked Penne Pasta with Mushroom Marinara and Chicken
Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 (28-oz) can of whole tomatoes
- ¼ yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp butter
- 8 oz button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
- ¼ tsp sugar
- Fresh parsley, chopped
Other Ingredients:
- ½ lb. of penne pasta, cooked per instructions
- 1½ cups of leftover roasted chicken
- ½ cup of mozzarella, shredded (divided)
- 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded
- ¼ tsp dried basil
How to Make Baked Penne Pasta with Mushroom Marinara and Chicken:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil (for easy clean-up) and spray with olive oil cooking spray.
Roast the tomatoes & onions by placing the whole tomatoes on the baking sheet, reserving the juice. Insert the garlic pieces inside the tomatoes–this infuses garlic into the tomatoes and will prevent the garlic from burning.
Sprinkle the diced onion over the tomatoes along with the dried basil, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are roasted. Don’t overcook the tomatoes, or they will dry out. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, cook the mushrooms by melting the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until golden brown and caramelized.
Prepare the marinara by placing the roasted tomato mixture in a large Dutch oven. Add the reserved tomato sauce and sugar, and blend well using an immersion blender. Side Note: Blend the sauce BEFORE you add the sauteed mushrooms to the mixture.
Add the mushrooms and fresh parsley. Taste and re-season with sea salt, pepper, basil, oregano, or sugar if needed.
Simmer the mushroom marinara for 2-3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a large baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.
Cook the pasta to al dente (after the marinara has finished simmering) in a large pot of well-salted water, according to the package instructions, and drain.
Prepare the casserole by combining the al dente pasta, chicken breast, half of the mozzarella, and as much mushroom marinara as you like, then mix thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Spread a bit more mushroom marinara over the pasta.
Sprinkle the top evenly with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the top with dried basil.
Bake the casserole covered for 20 minutes.
Remove the cover and bake for 5 minutes. Side Note: If you want the top golden brown, broil for a minute–watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.Â
Allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy.
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Ingredients
Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 (28-oz) can of whole tomatoes
- ¼ yellow onion diced
- 5 cloves of garlic sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to taste
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp butter
- 8 oz button or cremini mushrooms sliced
- ¼ tsp sugar
- Fresh parsley chopped
Other Ingredients:
- ½ lb. of penne pasta cooked per instructions
- 1½ cups of leftover roasted chicken
- ½ cup of mozzarella shredded (divided)
- 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese shredded
- ¼ tsp dried basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil (for easy clean-up) and spray with olive oil cooking spray.
- Roast the tomatoes & onions by placing the whole tomatoes on the baking sheet, reserving the juice. Insert the garlic pieces inside the tomatoes–this infuses garlic into the tomatoes and will prevent the garlic from burning.
- Sprinkle the diced onion over the tomatoes along with the dried basil, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are roasted. Don't overcook the tomatoes, or they will dry out. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, cook the mushrooms by melting the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until golden brown and caramelized.
- Prepare the marinara by placing the roasted tomato mixture in a large Dutch oven. Add the reserved tomato sauce and sugar, and blend well using an immersion blender. Side Note: Blend the sauce BEFORE you add the sauteed mushrooms to the mixture.
- Add the mushrooms and fresh parsley. Taste and re-season with sea salt, pepper, basil, oregano, or sugar if needed.
- Simmer the mushroom marinara for 2-3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a large baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.
- Cook the pasta to al dente (after the marinara has finished simmering) in a large pot of well-salted water, according to the package instructions, and drain.
- Prepare the casserole by combining the al dente pasta, chicken breast, half of the mozzarella, and as much mushroom marinara as you like, then mix thoroughly.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Spread a bit more mushroom marinara over the pasta.
- Sprinkle the top evenly with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the top with dried basil.
- Bake the casserole covered for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cover and bake for 5 minutes. Side Note: If you want the top golden brown, broil for a minute–watch it carefully so it doesn't burn.
- Allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy.
Thanks for this! I made it with regular spaghetti sauce & was still spectacular. Will try the sauce from scratch next time!