Gluten-Free Bacon-Swiss Penne

One night while in Columbus, my friends and I decided to stay in one night and cook dinner together. I just so happened to have brought some recipes along with me (surprise surprise!) and we picked something out of a Taste of Home magazine. What sold all of us was the word bacon and the mention of cheese. Doesn’t take much to interest our taste buds!

The most time consuming part was cooking the bacon. Maybe that was our fault for picking thick-cut bacon but it was totally worth it. This pasta dish reminds me of an grown-up version of macaroni and cheese, but would definitely please all ages. I would like the note that the gluten-free bread crumbs did not get as crispy and brown and regular bread crumbs would, even after turning the broiler on for a couple minutes. But this did not take away from the texture or overall enjoyment of the meal. Definitely going to make this again, especially since I wasn’t smart enough to claim leftovers.

This is my last gluten-free recipe for awhile so for all the gluten-free readers out there, enjoy!

Oh and tomorrow is my 1 year blogoversary!!

GLUTEN-FREE BACON-SWISS PENNE

Serves 10

Ingredients:

12 0z. uncooked gluten-free penne pasta

13 bacon strips

1-1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

3 Tbsp butter

6 green onions, chopped (forgot to buy at the grocery so I used some onion powder instead)

3 Tbsp gluten-free all-purpose flour

4 cups 2% milk

3 cups (12 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

1-1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

1-1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed

3/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

TOPPING

3/4 cup dry gluten-free bread crumbs

2 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9″ baking dish; set aside.
2. Cook penne according to the package directions.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon in batches oven medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 4 tsp drippings. Crumble bacon and set aside.
4. Saute chicken in butter and drippings until no longer pink. Add onion; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil, cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheeses, peas, pepper, thyme and bacon.
5. Drain penne; add to chicken mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and butter, sprinkle over top. Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Source: Adapted slightly from Taste of Home Magazine September 2011

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the September issue of Taste of Home magazine. I have not been compensated for posting about this recipe and opinions are my own.