Cheesy chicken parmesan meets creamy red pepper pasta for the ultimate Italian-American mash-up

Abbondanza — Italian for "abundance" — is a bi-monthly column from writer Michael La Corte in which the author shares his tips for making traditional Italian-American recipes even better. When I was the lone middle schooler rushing home with the sole focus to cook pastas and crab legs, one of the absolute first dishes that I would venture to say I "mastered" was Rachael Ray's Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. Supremely Cheesy Baked Chicken Parmigiana Pasta Yields 06 servings Prep Time 25 minutes Cook Time 1 hour 25 minutes Ingredients Extra virgin olive oil 2 shallots, peeled and minced 5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 1 large jar roasted red peppers, pureed 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1/2 cup dry white wine, stock or broth 2 cans or boxes crushed tomatoes or tomato puree 2 bay leaves Kosher salt 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 eggs, mixed with about 2 tablespoons milk, cream, or water 1 cup panko bread crumbs Freshly ground black pepper Onion powder Garlic powder 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan, divided Neutral oil 1 lb. short-cut pasta of your choosing 3 cups shredded mozzarella, divided 1 cup "Italian blend" shredded cheese, divided 1/2 stick butter, cubed Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Finally, season the bowl of bread crumbs with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and 1/2 cup Parmesan.