Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

chicken penne pasta casserole

(1 rating)
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Teresa Horn
Memphis, TN

Love to cook from scratch and was in the kitchen wondering just what to fix for dinner. So after doing some major hunting and gathering in the fridge and pantry, this little recipe was born. We loved it and it will definitely be made many more times. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did. ;)

Blue Ribbon Recipe

This is a really tasty and easy-to-throw-together casserole. It's filled with Italian flavor. Red onion gives things a little bit of a sweet flavor and mixes well with the ingredients. A hearty and super cheesy casserole for tonight's dinner.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(1 rating)
yield 6 serving(s)
prep time 30 Min
cook time 30 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For chicken penne pasta casserole

  • 2 lg
    chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
  • 1 jar
    Bertolli tomato & basil sauce (24 oz)
  • 1 can
    large black olives, drained (6 oz)
  • 1 can
    diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
  • 1 lb
    penne pasta
  • 1 lg
    red onion, medium dice
  • 2 Tbsp
    fresh garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp
    oregano, dried
  • 1 Tbsp
    basil, dried
  • 1 tsp
    sea salt
  • 1 tsp
    black pepper, fresh ground
  • 1 Tbsp
    parsley flakes, dried
  • 1 1/2 lb
    fresh mozzarella, sliced
  • 3 Tbsp
    olive oil

How To Make chicken penne pasta casserole

Test Kitchen Tips
We sliced the mozzarella a little thinner and were able to use 1 lb of mozzarella to cover the pasta. It was still super cheesy.
  • Heating up a pot with water.
    1
    Take a large pot and fill over halfway with water and add salt to cook your penne in. Let it start heating up while you prep all the other ingredients.
  • An oiled baking dish.
    2
    Preheat the oven to 350. Take a large casserole dish and coat it with olive oil and or pam inside. Make sure there are no places that are not oiled and set aside.
  • Cubed chicken breasts in a bowl.
    3
    Take the 2 large chicken breasts and cube them into bite-size pieces. Add to a bowl once done. Wash your hands thoroughly after cutting the chicken up. Using a different cutting board dice up your red onion.
  • 4
    Take your can of black olives and drain well. Cut them into halves and put them into a separate small bowl for later usage.
  • Chicken breasts, onions, minced garlic, herbs, and seasonings in a skillet.
    5
    Using a wok or a large sautee pan add the olive oil to the pan and allow to heat up. Once ready add the chicken breasts, onions, minced garlic, herbs, and seasonings. Stir this mixture till the chicken is fully cooked.
  • Tomato sauce and tomatoed added to the skillet.
    6
    Once the chicken is fully cooked add the jar of tomato sauce and the undrained diced tomatoes. Bring this mixture up to a light boil. Drop it down to a slow simmer till the pasta is done.
  • Cooking penne in boiling water.
    7
    While the sauce is simmering add your penne to the boiling and salted water. Cook following the directions on the package.
  • Adding black olives to the pasta.
    8
    Once the pasta is cooked drain it very well. Cut the heat off on the sauce and add the pasta to the pan. Then add the black olives. Stir very well making sure everything is coated and mixed together nicely.
  • Pasta mixture poured into a baking dish.
    9
    Slowly add this mixture to your casserole dish making sure to get everything out of your pan.
  • Slices of mozzarella on top of the pasta.
    10
    Top with the sliced fresh mozzarella cheese and place into the oven.
  • Baking the casserole until the cheese is melted.
    11
    Bake till the cheese is melted and a nice golden brown approximately about 30 minutes, but check it after about 20 mins. Once the cheese is melted and golden brown remove it from the oven. Hope you all enjoy this dish as much as we did.
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