Penne Rustica

I love using recipes only when I know they have been tried by someone I trust:) Other than that I don't try new recipes; I leave that up to Will. A few weeks ago I saw this recipe on Katherine's blog and I really wanted to make it. We were at my mom's house and it was Saturday night when I saw this so we kind of had to make do with what we had. This recipe despite all the changes we made, turned out very delicious and everyone loved it! We made one big 9x13 pan and it fit perfectly.


Ingredients:
12 oz. grilled chicken breast (marinate in olive oil and garlic salt overnight, then grill on barbecue for best flavor)
½ pack thick bacon
16 oz. penne pasta
1 large red bell pepper- diced (we had a green one, I would have preferred red, more for the color)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (didn't have the fresh stuff, only the powdery kind)
4 tsp paprika (I decided to use only 2 tsp. because I chickened out!)

Gratinata Sauce:
2 tsp butter
1 tsp chopped garlic ( I think we did about 3-4 tsp.)
1/2 cup marsala wine (I used 1/4 cup apple juice and 1/4 cup red wine) (didn't have, didn't use)
1/2 tsp dijon or dry mustard (dry mustard)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chopped rosemary (my parents have a rosemary bush, so we used a lot)
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (ground red pepper)
3 1/2 cups heavy cream (half and half)
mozzarella cheese and rosemary-for the top

Directions:
Sauté garlic in butter in large pan for a couple of minutes. Add marsala wine and boil until it reduces by half. Add mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and heavy cream and allow to cook until sauce thickens. (Our sauce never really got thick) Cook pasta according to directions. Cook bacon. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces.Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, cooked bacon (diced), bell peppers, parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly. Spread in pans. Top with chopped rosemary and mozzarella cheese.

Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.