Healthy chicken pasta bake

Healthy chicken pasta bake
found in Mains - Pasta

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 50 minutes

Difficulty:

Challenging

Try this healthy chicken pasta bake with peppers, courgette and ricotta for a nutritious midweek dinner. It’s sure to be a hit with everyone

Ingredients

300g penne pasta300g penne pasta
2 tsp olive oil2 tsp olive oil
2 peppers, deseeded and chopped2 peppers, deseeded and chopped
1 courgette, coarsely grated1 courgette, coarsely grated
3 garlic cloves, finely grated3 garlic cloves, finely grated
500g passata500g passata
1 tbsp smoked paprika1 tbsp smoked paprika
1¹⁄₂ tsp vegetable bouillon powder1¹⁄₂ tsp vegetable bouillon powder
25g olives, sliced25g olives, sliced
1 bunch(es) basil, chopped1 bunch(es) basil, chopped
100g ricotta100g ricotta
20g cheddar cheese (mature), grated20g cheddar cheese (mature), grated
400g chicken breasts, cut into pieces400g chicken breasts, cut into pieces
(OPTIONAL) 1 tsp chilli powder(OPTIONAL) 1 tsp chilli powder

Directions

Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C (fan oven) / 360°F / Gas Mark 4.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and fry the peppers for 8 mins, stirring until they start to soften. Add the courgette and garlic, stir for a few minutes more, then tip in the passata and stir in the smoked paprika, bouillon, chilli, if using, and olives. Simmer for 3-4 mins.

Drain the pasta, reserving the pasta water. Tip the pasta into the passata mixture along with the chicken, half a mug of the pasta water and the basil. Stir together well, then tip into baking dish.

Mix the ricotta in a bowl with 5 tbsp of the pasta water and spread across the top of the pasta. Sprinkle over the cheddar, then bake for 35 mins. Scatter with a few extra basil leaves, if you like, and serve.