Hi Everyone! Today I’m going to be giving away my simple recipe for one of the most filling meals I make at uni which is my chicken and bacon pasta bake. I cook for just me, because I’m a pretty plain and fussy eater, so this makes a couple of meals for a few days for one person or can serve between 2-4 people. I’m not a brilliant or experienced cook, so this is a pretty easy recipe. The best part about this dish is that the ingredients are variable, you can easily change it depending on what you like or want out of a dish.
Difficulty Level: Easy
Serves: 2-4 people/Meals depending on hunger levels.
Equipment:
- Chopping Board
- Frying Pan
- Saucepan
- Pyrex/Ovenproof dish
- Sieve – for draining your cooked pasta
- Cheese Grater
Ingredients:
- Chicken Breasts – 1-2, depending on how much meat you want in it
- Bacon – 2-3 rashers is more than enough. I use unsmoked because thats what I’m used to buying but I don’t see why other types of bacon wouldn’t work.
- Fusilli – enough to cover the base of your dish when uncooked. Wholewheat pasta is a healthier option which also works perfectly well, but for the version cooked in the photos I have used white fusilli. Similar pasta shapes would also probably work just as well
- Grated Cheese
- Low Calorie Spray – I love using low calorie spray a) because it makes me feel better about eating unhealthy food and b) its so much easier to cook with than oil
- Seasoning – adding a bit of spice and extra flavour is an option that you can take
- Pasta Bake Sauce – In this recipe I had got some HomePride Tomato and Bacon pasta bake sauce on offer, but I mostly use Aldi’s tomato and bacon sauce because it’s cheaper. For a healthier option it may be a good idea to consider making your own pasta sauce!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200/ Fan 180/ Gas Mark 6
- Chop your chicken breasts into chunks or slices for ease of cooking. Cut your bacon into slices, I like to remove most of the fat from mine
- Start boiling your water for your pasta in the saucepan, salt the water whilst boiling to lower the boiling point and add a bit of extra taste!
- Whilst you’re waiting for the water to boil, put the uncooked pasta in your ovenproof dish until it covers the bottom of the dish.
- Then add this pasta to your boiled water.
- Fry your Chicken and bacon using your low calorie spray
- Whilst its cooking maybe take this time to grate your cheese
- Most pasta bake recipes suggest that your pasta should be al dente (Cooked but still slightly hard) but I just wait until its cooked completely, I don’t think it really matters.
- Drain your pasta using a sieve or your pot lid
- Pour the pasta into the ovenproof dish and spread it evenly
- Pour in your bacon and chicken and spread it around
- Add in your canned pasta sauce and stir it about so it covers everything
- Add in some cheese and mix that in too
- Sprinkle some cheese over the top of the dish
- Pop it in the oven for 12-15 minutes. I judge mine based on how melted the cheese is
Hey Pasta! You’re done! Add a few slices of garlic bread or a bit of salad on the side if you fancy it.
I then pack my leftovers into my Tupperwares and have them over the next few days. I steer clear of keeping it for more than 3 days because I’ve heard having pasta more than 3 days after its cooked is potentially fatal?!? So maybe keep that in mind!
Enjoy Everyone! Let me know how it goes!