Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon

Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon – a family favourite

Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 45 mins | Total Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 400 g dried pasta shapes (I used rigatoni)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 large chicken breasts cut into bitesize chunks
• 1 large onion peeled and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper de-seeded and chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper de-seeded and chopped
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 800 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 120 ml double (heavy) cream
• 100 g fresh baby spinach
• 6 rashers cooked bacon chopped
• 100 g strong cheddar cheese grated
• 100 g mozzarella grated
• Small bunch parsley roughly torn

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 190c/375f. Boil a large pan of water and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than recommended on the pack. Drain.
• Whilst the pasta is cooking, heat the oil on a medium heat, in a large frying pan. Add the chicken, and cook until just sealed – about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until the onion is softened. Add the chopped peppers, salt, pepper, garlic, tomato puree, oregano and thyme. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Stir in the tinned tomatoes and cream, bring to a gentle bubble, then add the pasta, spinach and cooked bacon. Stir everything together, then transfer to a large baking dish.
• Top with the cheddar and mozzarella, and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.
• Take out of the oven and top with parsley before serving.