Baked Penne with Chicken, Broccoli and Smoked Mozzarella — The Dinner That Made Mom Smile

The bookstore job is everything. I know that sounds dramatic for a part-time retail position, but hear me out: I am surrounded by books, I get an employee discount, and the customers are people who READ, which means they're generally more pleasant than the Subway crowd (no shade to Big Mike, but he never once asked me about my favorite author). My manager, a woman named Carla who has the energy of a retired librarian who refuses to actually retire, has already started recommending books to me based on my 'energy.' She says I have 'memoir energy.' I think this means I talk about my family too much. She gave me a copy of 'Educated' by Tara Westover and I read it in two days and it wrecked me in the best way — a woman who grew up in chaos and found her way out through words. Not my story exactly, but adjacent. Close enough to feel like a mirror at a slight angle. Dana came over for dinner on Saturday, which was a first. Mom cooked for company, which means she cooked like the Queen was visiting — her good china, her best recipes, the dining room. She made her baked ziti, which is her "company dinner" of choice because it feeds a crowd, looks impressive, and is basically impossible to mess up. Ziti pasta, ricotta, mozzarella, her marinara, Italian sausage, layered and baked until bubbly and golden. It's lasagna's easier, messier cousin, and it's crowd-proof. Dana ate two helpings and said, 'Mrs. Abernathy, you should have a restaurant.' Mom said, 'That's what Kevin says. He's wrong too.' But she was smiling. Mom processes compliments by deflecting them, but the smile tells you the truth. After dinner, Dana and I sat on the back porch and she said something that stuck with me: 'You know you're going to end up writing about food, right? Like, as a thing. Not just for class.' 'What do you mean?' 'Rachel. You write about food the way other people write about love. It's your thing. Own it.' Dana, with her PB&J lunches and her terrible student union coffee, might be the wisest person I know. I don't know if she's right. I don't know if 'writing about food' is a career. But I know it's the only time I feel like myself — standing in a kitchen or sitting at a table, translating the taste and smell and feeling of a meal into words. It's communication, which is literally what I'm studying. It's journalism, which is literally what Professor Kim wants me to pursue. It's the thing I do without thinking, the way Mom cooks without measuring. Maybe Dana is right. Maybe food is my thing. Maybe owning it is the next step. The baked ziti is in the fridge. The books are on my shelf. And somewhere between a bookstore and a kitchen, I might be figuring out who I am.

When Dana told me I write about food the way other people write about love, I thought about Mom’s kitchen—the layering, the bubbling, the way a baked pasta dish can make a whole room feel like an exhale. I’m not ready to replicate her exact ziti yet (that’s hers), but this baked penne with chicken, broccoli, and smoked mozzarella hits that same generous, crowd-feeding, impossibly-comforting note. It’s the dish I’ve been making on weeknights when I want to feel like I’m hosting—when I want to practice being the kind of person who feeds people well. Dana would eat two helpings of this too, and she’d probably tell me to own it.

Baked Penne with Chicken, Broccoli and Smoked Mozzarella

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 12 oz penne pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 cups small broccoli florets
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 cups smoked mozzarella, shredded and divided
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook penne 2 minutes less than the package directions (it will finish cooking in the oven). Drain and set aside.
3. Cook the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook 5—6 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden on the outside but not fully cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
4. Sauté the broccoli and garlic. In the same skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add broccoli and cook 3—4 minutes until bright green and just tender. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes; cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
5. Build the sauce mixture. Reduce heat to low. Add marinara sauce and chicken broth to the skillet and stir to combine. Return the chicken to the pan and stir everything together. Remove from heat.
6. Combine with pasta. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the drained penne, ricotta, 3/4 cup of the smoked mozzarella, and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Pour the chicken and sauce mixture over the top and fold everything together until well coated.
7. Assemble and top. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup smoked mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan evenly over the top.
8. Bake. Bake uncovered for 25—30 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and golden at the edges. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
9. Garnish and serve. Scatter fresh basil over the top and serve directly from the dish.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 540 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 55g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 820mg