Pasta bakes are super versatile, making them a popular option for families throughout the week.
Anything can be added to them, including meat and vegetables, which need to be used up in the fridge.
Mary Berry’s recipe uses chicken breasts with little other ingredients, meaning it’s a great one to use up food in cupboards.
The recipe notes said: “A wonderfully comforting chicken pasta bake, this can be made ahead and will go down really well with the family.”
It serves six to eight people, but portions can be frozen before cooking if you’ve made too much.
Ingredients:
Butter, for greasing
250g penne pasta
One onion, roughly chopped
Three chicken breasts cut into strips
One tablespoon of paprika
Two tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the sauce:
50g butter
50g plain flour
750ml hot milk
One teaspoon of Dijon mustard
100g Parmesan cheese, coarsely grated
Two large tomatoes deseeded and cut into small cubes
Method:
Preheat the oven to 220C or 200C Fan and butter a shallow 1.75-litre ovenproof dish.
Cook the pasta with the onion in boiling, salted water before draining, and leave it in a colander.
Put the chicken strips in a resealable freezer bag with the paprika and a little salt and pepper before sealing the bag and shaking it to coat it.
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and quickly fry the chicken over high heat for two minutes until just cooked through.
To make the sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the flour and whisk together to form a roux.
Cook for one minute before adding in the hot milk, whisking over high heat until smooth and thick, allowing it to boil for four minutes.
Add in the mustard, half the cheese and season well with salt and pepper. Add the pasta and onion to the sauce and stir together.
Spoon half this mixture into the dish, arrange the chicken on top and spoon over the remaining pasta and sauce on top.
Scatter over the tomatoes and then top with the remaining cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until piping hot and golden brown.
