Chicken Penne Cassarole aka Peter Mostaccioli

Steven, Jan. 21, 2023

Steven's 9x13 Recipes #3: Another great cassarole dish, but a slightly more complicated one! This delicious chicken penne cassarole is also known as "Peter Mostaccioli" due to its resemblance to Mostaccioli (meat, penne pasta, sauce, topping) and a dish Peter would make (more complicated, uses chicken, spinach, tomatoes, oil, etc.). The original recipe is designed to produce one cassarole to eat immediately, and another to freeze for later. I've sort of recreated this here: if you're cooking for 3, set Feeds to 6 for an extra cassarole. Feeds=3 corresponds with 1 9x13. Of course, here at the Forge we need at least two cassaroles- I normally double the entire recipe (Feeds=12) so we can invite more people to eat with us or even maybe have some leftovers. As all my cassaroles, this one is tasty fresh or reheated! It's one I'll continue to make on my own in the years to come.

Prep time: ~30 minutes? Oven time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Feeds:

Ingredients:

  • Interior:
  • [1] package ([16] oz) mostaccioli or penne pasta
    • cooked & drained. It goes in the oven after cooking, so best not to make the noodles too soft
  • [6] cups cubed cooked chicken
  • [1] jar ([15] oz) Alfredo sauce
  • [1] jar ([8.1] oz) pesto
  • [1] can ([15] oz) crushed tomatoes
    • I prefer my tomatoes in smaller pieces, buying cubed or diced works but I crush/cut them more before mixing in
  • [4] cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or Italian cheese blend)
  • [3] cups spinach
  • [1.5] cups milk
  • Topping:
  • [0.5] cup season bread crumbs
  • [0.5] cup grated parmesan cheese
  • [1] tablespoon olive oil

Suggested Sides:

  • Frozen, steamable, microwavable brussel sprouts or another vegetable
  • Texas toast or similar garlic bread. I often prepare it in our toaster oven, since the oven is occupied.
  • Grapes

Directions

Cooking process:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Cook and cube chicken, cook pasta
  3. Once the chicken is done and pasta is cooking, in a large bowl combine all the interior ingredients:
    1. Chicken, cheese, spinach, tomatoes, alfredo sauce, milk, and pesto
  4. Add pasta and mix in
  5. (If Feeds=6) Transfer to two greased 9x13 pans
  6. In a small bowl, combine and mix the topping ingredients:
    1. Bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and olive oil
  7. Sprinkle topping over cassaroles
  8. [Optional: one cassarole can be covered and frozen for later, after thawing it for 30 minutes, cook at 350 for 50-60 minutes]
  9. Cover with foil, and bake in oven for 40-45 minutes* or until bubbly
  10. Enjoy!

*While it is in the oven is an excellent time to do the dishes, everything except the 9x13 can be washed- if you're eating alone and saving it in the 9x13, this means you're completely done after you eat!

The longer cook time also means this is a great opportunity to prepare sides to go with the meal.

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