Does anyone else feel like January is FLYING by? The weeks feel like days and it’s all I can do to keep my head above water. With busy nights and cold weather, warm comfort food that’s quick and does not require a lot of time or effort are all I’ve been making. I decided to take my husbands favorite (we’re talking EVERY time we go out to eat) salad and turn it into something a little more hearty he could enjoy for dinner.
I started with my favorite Penne noodles, but any kind of noodle will work in this recipe. I would typically use a whole wheat noodle to go a little lower calorie, but these are all that I had in my pantry, and I am not about to brave that Utah cold! I boiled my noodles for about 5 minutes, not quite cooking them all the way, but softening them. I then added about 2 tablespoons of shredded basil, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, 2 cups shredded chicken, 1 cup chicken broth, and 1 1/2 cups of chopped cherry tomatoes. Once all of that was mixed together I sprinkled some garlic salt and powder over the noodles and gave it one more stir to combine all of the flavors.
I poured a little more chicken broth in the bottom of a 9×13″ pan, and sprinkled just a little more basil. Then I dumped the noodle mixture into the bowl and spread it out evenly. A lot of the heavier toppings, like the chicken and tomatoes kind of stuck together or ended up at the bottom, so make sure to spread those out! I topped our Caprese Pasta Bake with some fresh sliced Mozzarella cheese (the cheese counter at your Kroger store has the BEST fresh cheeses.) Added a quick drizzle of balsamic and olive oil, a little more cheese (no shame) and popped it in the oven for about 30 minutes.
Serves: 6-8
10 minPrep Time
30 minCook Time
40 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 (10 oz) box of penne pasta
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 1 cup + 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup fresh, sliced mozzarella cheese
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add noddles and boil for 5 minutes, then run under cold water to stop additional cooking.
- In a bowl, combine half cooked noodles, chicken, tomatoes, basil, 1 cup chicken broth, garlic, powder, garlic salt, and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Pour remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth in the bottom of a 9x13" pan.
- Add noodle mixture and spread evenly.
- Top with sliced mozzarella cheese, covering the top as much as you can. Feel free to fill in any extra gaps with the remaining shredded mozzarella.
- Drizzle top of casserole with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees, or until cheese begins to bubble and golden.
Recipe Inspiration: The Seasoned Mom
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