A pleasant change from the standard creamy variations, this hen pasta bake is made with a tomato pasta sauce. Stuffed with bacon, scorching seasoned hen and beneficiant on the cheese, it’s cosy and hearty and thrifty and simply so, so scrumptious! Glorious full meal for making forward and freezing.
Hen pasta bake
In case you can reduce a pasta bake like cake – I’m speaking straight vertical partitions with sharp edges – that’s not factor. It simply screams dry pasta bake!
Nope. Not in my world. Pasta bakes needs to be saucy and juicy, molten and oozy! Generously loaded with add-ins, in the event you’re going for a dinner pasta bake (versus a aspect dish like Mac and Cheese).
This one ticks all these packing containers. Proof by image – juicy / saucy:
Tasty add-ins – scorching seasoned hen! Love the scent when the hen hits the pan.
So if that sounds good to you, learn on so you’ll be able to see find out how to make your new favorite hen pasta bake!
Substances in hen pasta bake
You’ll be capable to get every thing out of your native grocery retailer. Nothing expensive on the listing!
Scorching seasoned hen
The pasta bake begins with scorching hen that’s been tossed in a easy, tasty seasoning. Right here’s what you want:
Hen – I like utilizing hen thighs as they keep juicier in dishes like pasta bakes the place they’re twice cooked (ie earlier than including into sauce then within the oven with the pasta).
Seasoning – Utilizing a retailer purchased Italian herb combine is a superb shortcut right here. I at all times like so as to add an additional spice, garlic on this paste, for additional flavour oomph.
Tomato pasta sauce for the pasta bake
An excellent tomato-based pasta bake wants tomato pasta sauce! No shortcuts right here – I attempted and simply discovered it too bland. So right here’s what we’d like:
Pasta kind – I just like the substantialness of rigatoni, there’s one thing additional cosy and satisfying about it in pasta bakes. Nevertheless, be happy to make use of different brief pastas like macaroni, penne, ziti, shells and so on.
Tomato passata – for a thick, clean sauce with higher tomato flavour and pink color, use passata as a substitute of crushed or diced tomato. It’s simply pureed plain tomato! Available right here in Australia within the pasta or canned tomato aisle and prices across the similar as canned tomato. Extra on passata right here.
Tomato paste – for sauce thickening and additional tomato flavour.
Garlic and onion – important flavour base!
Oregano – for earthy flavour.
Chilli flakes / pink pepper flakes – for a hum of heat!
Wine – secret ingredient! Simmered quickly to scale back and cook dinner out the alcohol and winey flavour, simply forsaking tasty flavour. My favorite white wine for cooking is chardonnay which provides superior flavour in comparison with extra impartial whites like sauvignon blanc. Substitute with low sodium hen inventory/broth.
Hen pasta bake add-ins & topping
Numerous add-in choices, however right here’s what I’ve gone with!
Bacon – cooked first till crisp, chopped, and tossed by the pasta bake. Then we use the bacon fats left within the pan to cooke the hen. Free flavour to not be wasted! Substitute with ham bits or chopped ham.
Tomato – provides beautiful juicy chunks of tomato within the pasta bake in addition to filling it out and rising the vegetable quota.
Child spinach – for extra hidden greens in addition to including good streaks of inexperienced into the pasta bake.
Cheese – mozzarella for stretch and melting qualities, parmesan for flavour! (As a result of mozzarella truly doesn’t have a lot flavour).
Be at liberty to substitute the tomato and child spinach with different add-ins of selection.
Easy methods to make hen pasta bake
There’s a time and a spot for fast, low-effort one-pot pasta bakes. Then there’s all these instances once you need a actually good pasta bake so that you’ll do it correctly. Crisp the bacon, sear the hen, simmer the sauce, then convey all of it collectively into one massive effervescent pasta bake.
Immediately is a kind of days!
1. Crisp bacon (no oil)
First, cook dinner the bacon in a non-stick pan till golden and crisp. You gained’t want any oil to do that because the fats within the bacon will soften and launch fats into the pan. So it cooks in its personal fats!
Drain on paper towels, leaving the fats within the pan (we’ll use this to cook dinner the hen). The bacon will go crispy when it cools, then chop into items.
2. Making the pasta bake
Toss the hen within the Italian herbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Sear – Utilizing a really massive pan or a big pot (as a result of we’re mixing the sauce with pasta on this pan), sear the hen till gentle golden within the reserved bacon fats.
Don’t fear whether or not it’s cooked by inside, it is going to end cooking within the sauce and oven. Take away hen with a slotted spoon and put aside in a bowl, leaving the tasty hen/bacon fats within the pan (you see all this flavour constructing occurring, proper??!)
Sauté the onion and garlic with the chilli flakes and dried oregano – good trick for bringing out additional flavour from dried herbs! Then add the wine and simmer quickly to largely cut back – this cooks out the alcohol and removes the winey flavour, simply forsaking tasty flavour which provides somewhat something-something into the sauce.
Sauce – Subsequent, cook dinner off the tomato paste. Just like toasting the herbs, this improves the flavour of tomato paste, taking off the bitter edge, intensifying the tomato flavour and sweetening it. Good Cheffy tip!
Then we add all of the liquids – the tomato passata, water (use it to rinse out the bottle) – salt and pepper for seasoning.
Simmer – Then stir within the hen – don’t overlook so as to add all of the juices pooled within the bowl! Simmer for five minutes to convey the flavours collectively – that is when the magic occurs so don’t skip or shortcut this step. I attempted – to hurry issues up – however the sauce simply lacked flavour.
Add-ins – Add the infant spinach, tomato, cooked pasta and bacon in that order, so the heavier add-ins overwhelm the appreciable quantity of child spinach.
Oh! In case you keep in mind, you’ll be able to maintain again a little bit of bacon for sprinkling on on the finish. However to be sincere, I often overlook.
Combine nicely – Give all of it stir to combine all of it collectively. You DID use a giant pan, proper?? 🙂 In case you didn’t, that is the half the place you’ll begin crying or cursing – been there, completed that!
Baking pan – Switch to a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ pan and stage the floor.
Cheese it! High with mozzarella then parmesan cheese. Doing it on this order provides the floor a beautiful golden crust because of the parmesan, nevertheless it’s not the tip of the world in the event you do it the opposite method.
Bake for simply 25 minutes till the cheese is melted with some beautiful golden spots. Relaxation for five minutes, simply to let it settle so the sauce clings to the pasta a bit higher. Then serve!
Make-ahead / freezing tip
Most pasta bakes are terrific make-ahead-bake-later choices, and this hen pasta bake is not any exception!
The easiest way to make forward is to cook dinner the sauce and pasta individually, permit each to chill utterly. Then toss collectively and assemble the pasta bake – together with topping with cheese. Cowl nicely with cling wrap and refrigerate 3 days or freeze as much as 3 months (thaw completely). Then bake lined for 20 minutes then uncovered for 20 minutes. It should take longer for the centre to get scorching in the event you’re baking from fridge-cold however the cheese will get too brown in the event you go away it uncovered for this full baking time.
Full meal – veg, starch, protein!
It’s not typically I get to inform you {that a} pasta dish is an entire meal, so let me benefit from the second. This one’s bought all of it! Starch, protein and loads of greens – the tomato passata (sure it’s a vegetable!), chunks of recent tomato and quantity of child spinach too.
Which implies – not like most of my creamy pasta bakes – no have to make a salad for the aspect to spherical out the meal. At all times a bonus in the case of selecting what to make for dinner tonight, proper?? – Nagi x
PS Having simply made that assertion, I simply realised the photograph above has a aspect salad in it. 😂 It’s the rocket salad (arugula) with balsamic dressing minus the parmesan shavings (as a result of I figured there was sufficient cheese within the pasta bake!). It was already made for an additional recipe I used to be capturing so I simply grabbed it as a background prop for the photograph!
PPS Regardless of saying it is a full meal, a aspect of garlic bread will surely take dinner to a different stage!
Watch find out how to make it
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Hen pasta bake
Creator: Nagi
Prep: 15minutes
Cook dinner: 45minutes
Most important
Italian-esque, Western
Servings6– 6 individuals
Faucet or hover to scale
Recipe video above. The whole lot a hen pasta bake needs to be – massive, juicy, bubbly, cosy, with a great deal of additional tasty sauce, scorching seasoned hen, bacon and loads of cheese. Good change from the standard creamy pasta bakes!It is a full meal with starch, protein and veg so you will not want a aspect salad for this. Love the juicy chunks of tomato!
Directions
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
Cook dinner pasta per packet instructions, utilizing boiling water seasoned with the two teaspoons of salt. Drain, rinse briefly underneath faucet water, then put aside to chill whereas making the sauce.
Season hen – Toss collectively Seasoned Hen elements in a bowl.
Crisp bacon – Put bacon in an unheated very giant non-stick pan (Notice 2). Flip range on medium excessive. The fats will soften so the bacon cooks in its personal fats. Cook dinner till gentle golden, take away onto paper towels, leaving fats within the pan. As soon as cool, reduce into 1cm / 1/3″ items.
Sizzle hen – High up bacon fats with olive oil in the event you don’t have no less than 1 tbsp. Improve warmth to excessive. Cook dinner hen for 3 minutes till gentle golden on the skin however nonetheless uncooked inside. Take away right into a bowl with a slotted spoon.
Sauce – In the identical pan, cook dinner garlic and onion for 1 minute, then add chilli flakes and oregano. Cook dinner for two minutes till onion is translucent. Add wine and quickly simmer for 1 to 2 minutes till largely evaporated. Add tomato paste and cook dinner for 1 minute to pay attention and enhance flavour. Add passata, then use the water to rinse out the bottle. Add salt, pepper, hen (together with all juices on the plate). Combine, then simmer for five minutes on medium.
Toss – Add child spinach, tomato, pasta and bacon. Toss nicely.
Assemble – Switch to 23 x 33cm/9 x 13″ pan. High with mozzarella then parmesan. Bake 25 minutes till melted with some golden spots.
Serve – Stand for five minutes then serve!
Recipe Notes:
1. Hen thighs maintain up greatest in pasta bakes as they keep juicy by the double/triple cook dinner. Nevertheless, breast will even work although I’d reduce it somewhat bigger so it stays juicier. 2. Wine is a secret ingredient for tastier sauces – no winey flavour remaining, I promise! I like utilizing chardonnay because it provides extra flavour than impartial whites like sauvignon blanc. Sub low-sodium hen inventory/broth 3. Tomato passata – Pureed, strained pure tomatoes, typically labelled “tomato puree” within the US (right here’s a photograph of Mutti tomato passata bought at Walmart). It’s available in Australian supermarkets these days, alongside pasta sauces. Passata is superb for making thick, clean sauces. Extra on tomato passata right here. 4. Leftovers will hold for 3 days within the fridge or freezer for 3 months. Make-ahead – Finest method is to chill down the sauce and pasta earlier than combining. Assemble pasta bake – together with topping with cheese – wrap tightly in cling wrap then fridge 3 days or freezer 3 months (thaw utterly). Bake lined for 20 minutes then uncovered 20 minutes. Vitamin per serving, assuming 6 servings. It’s a fairly hearty pasta bake because of all of the add-ins so it needs to be sufficient for six commonplace servings.
