Recipe Background
Chicken Nugget Parmesan Casserole: a cheesy comfort casserole perfect for making new places feel like home.
There’s nothing quite like moving to a new city to shake up life and appetite. When I first set foot in my tiny urban apartment, the kitchen was bare, and my stomach was growling. After a long day of unpacking, I turned to my trusty stash of frozen chicken nuggets. They had sustained me through countless transitions, like small, breaded souvenirs of familiar comfort. I spotted a jar of marinara sauce from my last home and felt a spark of culinary inspiration. Knowing I always have rigatoni on hand because of its perfect ability to hold sauce, I set out to create a dish that screamed cozy and delightful.
As the pasta boiled, enveloping my new kitchen in a cloud of inviting warmth, I rifled through boxes and found a mountain of shredded mozzarella. I laughed, remembering how my friends used to tease me about always having too much cheese. Cranking up the oven, I imagined layering flavors like stacking memories of every place I’d lived. A pro tip: always drain the pasta thoroughly to keep the casserole’s base sturdy. By the time the casserole emerged golden and bubbling, my new place finally felt a little like home.
This casserole now holds the memory of that evening when the world outside seemed buzzing with new possibilities. With the first bite, I knew this dish would be a staple for future adventures. Consider adding a sprinkle of extra Parmesan in the last few minutes for that crispy top everyone loves. Cooking is not just about ingredients—it's about the stories served alongside them.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces rigatoni
- 2 (24-ounce) jars marinara sauce divided
- 2 (1-pound) bags frozen chicken nuggets
- 4 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 6 tablespoons parmesan cheese finely grated
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Coat an 8x11-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large pot of salted, boiling water, add the pasta and cook, while stirring occasionally, until 2-3 minutes shy of the cooking time on the package directions.
- Drain the pasta.
- In large bowl, add the pasta and 1 jar of the marinara sauce and toss to coat.
- Layer 1/2 of the pasta mixture on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Arrange 2 cups of the chicken nuggets in a single layer over the pasta mixture layer in the baking dish.
- Add 1/2 of the remaining marinara sauce over the chicken nugget layer in the baking dish.
- Sprinkle 2 cups of the mozzarella and 3 tablespoons of the parmesan over top of the marinara sauce layer in the baking dish.
- Layer the remaining pasta mixture, then the remaining chicken nuggets in the baking dish.
- Tightly cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake until the chicken nuggets are cooked and the casserole is warmed through, about 40-45 minutes.
- Transfer the casserole from the oven and top it with the remaining marinara sauce, the remaining mozzarella, and the remaining parmesan, in that order.
- Bake, uncovered, until the cheeses are melted and golden, about 10-15 minutes.
- Serve.
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