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You don’t even have to boil the pasta! For an easy dinner with just 10 minutes of prep, stir together this Dump-and-Bake Chicken Penne Pasta Recipe and let the oven do the work. The cheesy baked casserole is a cozy, hearty and satisfying one dish meal that the whole family will love!
There’s nothing better than a warm casserole on a chilly evening; however, it can be a hassle to pre-cook the pasta, pre-cook the meat and vegetables, and pull together a sauce. Instead, a dump-and-bake penne pasta recipe with chicken is the way to go!
How do you make the BEST penne pasta?
You literally just stir together the ingredients and pop the dish in the oven! It’s seriously that easy!
First, make the sauce for the creamy penne pasta recipe by whisking together a can of condensed cheddar cheese soup, milk, chicken broth, thyme, salt and pepper.
Now it’s time to stir in the onion, uncooked chicken, sliced mushrooms, and uncooked penne pasta.
Transfer the pasta mixture to an 8-inch square baking dish, cover with foil, and bake in a 425 degree F oven for 35 minutes.
It looks like a lot of liquid at the beginning, but the pasta will absorb most of the liquid as it cooks, resulting in a thick, creamy baked penne pasta recipe!
After 35 minutes, remove the dish from the oven, remove the cover, and stir in the sour cream.
Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top, and then place the dish back in the oven (uncovered) for about 5-10 more minutes (or until the pasta is tender and the chicken is cooked through).
Allow the casserole to rest for about 5-10 more minutes before serving, which will give the cheesy, creamy sauce even more time to thicken.
COOK’S TIPS AND RECIPE VARIATIONS:
- Keep this penne pasta recipe easy by using a package of sliced mushrooms (less prep work!) and pre-sliced chicken breast if you can find it in your grocery store. You can also use frozen pre-diced onion to avoid any chopping!
- Make the penne pasta recipe vegetarian by omitting the chicken and substituting with a can of drained, rinsed beans or additional vegetables. Nice options include peas (stir frozen peas in during the final 10 minutes of baking), frozen mixed vegetables, or steamed crisp-tender broccoli florets.
- Make this penne pasta recipe with tuna or canned salmon in lieu of the chicken.
- Can’t find the cheddar cheese soup? Substitute with condensed cream of mushroom soup instead!
You might also enjoy these penne pasta recipes:
- Penne with Prosciutto Parmesan Cream Sauce
- Dump-and-Bake Creamy Chicken Penne Pasta
- Dump-and-Bake Penne Alla Vodka
- Chicken Penne Casserole with Corn and Zucchini
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Penne Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cheddar soup (NOT diluted) (I used Campbell’s Healthy Request)
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
- ½ cup diced onion
- ½ lb. raw boneless,skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 ½ cups dry uncooked penne pasta about 5 ounces dry
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together condensed soup, milk, chicken broth, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir in mushrooms, onion, raw chicken, and uncooked pasta.
- Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove foil and give everything a stir in the dish. Stir in sour cream, and sprinkle cheese over top. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 5-10 more minutes, or until pasta is tender and chicken is cooked through.
- Let the dish stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Keep this penne pasta recipe easy by using a package of sliced mushrooms (less prep work!) and pre-sliced chicken breast if you can find it in your grocery store. You can also use frozen pre-diced onion to avoid any chopping!
- Make the penne pasta recipe vegetarian by omitting the chicken and substituting with a can of drained, rinsed beans or additional vegetables. Nice options include peas (stir frozen peas in during the final 10 minutes of baking), frozen mixed vegetables, or steamed crisp-tender broccoli florets.
- Make this penne pasta recipe with tuna or canned salmon in lieu of the chicken.
- Can't find the cheddar cheese soup? Substitute with condensed cream of mushroom soup instead!
I want to thank you so much for your Dump and Bake recipe…it was an absolute wonerful and easy recipe…this will be my go meal for many years to come..absolutely ymminess….thank you
Thank you, Sharon!
Question: is it possible to make this in slow cooker, specifically with uncooked pasta?
Hi Linda,
We haven’t tested it but don’t think it would work very well as the pasta is likely to becoming mushy in the slow cooker. If you want to try it out, we would recommend cooking the penne separately and stirring it in. Hope this helps!
This recipe was absolutely delicious and so easy to make! My husband and grandson loved it and the best part, for me anyway, there were no leftovers and I doubled the recipe! Definitely will be my go to meal from now on!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
We’re so happy to hear this, Sandra! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review.