I love making meals from leftovers, and tonight was no different.
We had quite a bit of meat leftover from some Chicken thighs, so I thought a Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake would go down well, and boy did it!
The boys could quite happily eat pasta for every meal if we let them and they love a good pasta bake, but if I am honest I can't stand shop bought sauces so I make my own and it is so much nicer and cheaper if you already have the ingredients.
This recipe feeds 6 and you can change the meat for things like chopped up sausages, tuna or even a bit of veg instead of meat. You can add peas, sweetcorn or whatever you have leftover really. It is such a versatile dish. (Our other favourite is Tuna with sweetcorn and a sprinkle of crispy onions)
Ingredients
Olive oil
2 small onions, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
2 tins of tomatoes (I sometimes make my own sauce with fresh tomatoes if I have any left)
1 tsp of brown sugar
6 pre cooked Chicken thighs cooked, and meat pulled (If you need to cook them just fry them until cooked through)
500g Pasta
90g grated cheese
200g Soft Cheese you could use one with herbs, chilli or just plain. (I used plain for this recipe)
Sprinkle of Rosemary (you can just use any herbs you have)
1 chicken stock cube
Method
Step one
Preheat your oven to gas mark 7/220C
In a frying pan, use a little oil to brown the onions and garlic then add in your tomatoes and sugar and let it simmer until it starts to thicken. Add in your stock cube. You may need to add in a little bit of water depending on how thick you want your pasta sauce, I usually add in around 5 tbsp. Remove from the heat and place into a heat proof bowl and using a stick blender, smooth out your sauce.
Step two
Cook your pasta the way it tells you on the packet, then drain, add a drizzle of olive oil and place into an ovenproof dish. Then add your chicken making sure to spread it all out. Pour over your sauce, sprinkle over your grated cheese and then place into the oven for around 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling. Remove and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Enjoy!
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