Donna's Smoky Baked Italian Chicken Casserole
- 2 lbs boneless chicken, cooked and then diced
- 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 6 ounces grated smoked cheddar cheese
- 6 ounces grated smoked gouda cheese
- 16 ounces cooked and drained penne rigate or 16 ounces rotini pasta
- 26 ounces classico tomato and basil spaghetti sauce
- 10 ounces classico sun-dried tomato pesto, in a glass container
- 14 12 ounces of hunts fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms, drained
- 12 cup onion, diced and sauteed
- 1 teaspoon store bought roasted minced garlic
- 12 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 14 cup grated romano cheese or 14 cup parmesan cheese
- 12 slices of firm heirloom slicing tomatoes
- 1 -2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Preheat oven to 350* and spray a 9x13 - deep dish glass baking dish - with a non stick spray.
- Using a very large mixing bowl, add Chicken, Sauce, minced Garlic, Pesto, diced Tomatoes, Onions, Mushrooms, shredded Mozzarella, Cheddar and Gouda.
- Add the Penne Rigate or Rotini noodles and mix well.
- Pour the mixture into the glass baking dish.
- Next mix the Romano or Parmesian cheese with the Italian bread crumbs and sprinkle over the top.
- Cover with Aluminum foil.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the casserole is hot and bubbly.
- Remove the foil and add the 12 thick sliced tomatoes to the top of the Casserole ( make it pretty so each serving has a tomato on top )., Next drizzle them with the olive oil.,.
- Bake the casserole for 15 minutes more or until the tomatoes are roasted and pretty ( keeping a watch on them so the tomatoes are not over cooked ).
- Serve with a Simple salad and maybe some French Bread or Garlic Texas toast.
- Enjoy!
chicken, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, gouda cheese, penne rigate, tomato, tomato pesto, tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, garlic, italian seasoned breadcrumbs, romano cheese, tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/donnas-smoky-baked-italian-chicken-casserole-360524 (may not work)