Chicken-Penne Pasta Bake

I made this dish for a cabin retreat with some friends--and it was a hit! The prep is time consuming but very worth it, especially because you can freeze one or both pans for later. I topped the dish with shredded Parmesan cheese while baking for an extra crisp, cheesy topping. One batch (two pans) served 11 people with no leftovers.

    6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes

    coarse salt and ground pepper

    1 pound penne rigate

    1 teaspoon olive oil

    2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (8 ounces each), halved horizontally

    1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

    4 garlic cloves, minced

    6 cups whole milk

    1 yellow onion, chopped lengthwise

    1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced

    1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces)

    1 cup finely grated Parmesan (4 ounces)

Directions

   1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes-for super easy cleanup use store bought disposable ones. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.

   2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook onions and chicken until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.

   3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy 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 tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

   4. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with cup Parmesan.

   5. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

For freezing:

   6. Prepare through step 4; let cool. Cover tightly with foil, and freeze, up to 3 months.

   7. Preheat oven to 400, and bake (still covered in foil) on a rimmed baking sheet until center is hot, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil; bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.