Rooster pasta bake | RecipeTin Eats

A pleasant change from the same old creamy variations, this hen pasta bake is made with a tomato pasta sauce. Crammed 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.

Rooster pasta bake

For those who 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 ought 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 facet 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 may see how one can make your new favorite hen pasta bake!

Substances in hen pasta bake

You’ll be capable to get every part out of your native grocery retailer. Nothing dear 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:

• Rooster – 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 good shortcut right here. I at all times like so as to add an additional spice, garlic on this paste, for further flavour oomph.

Tomato pasta sauce for the pasta bake

A very good 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 further cosy and satisfying about it in pasta bakes. Nonetheless, be happy to make use of different brief pastas like macaroni, penne, ziti, shells and so forth.

• 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 further 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 cut back and prepare dinner out the alcohol and winey flavour, simply abandoning 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.

Rooster 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 means of 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 pretty 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 really doesn’t have a lot flavour).

Be at liberty to substitute the tomato and child spinach with different add-ins of selection.

How one can make hen pasta bake

There’s a time and a spot for fast, low-effort one-pot pasta bakes. Then there’s all these occasions while you desire a actually good pasta bake so that you’ll do it correctly. Crisp the bacon, sear the hen, simmer the sauce, then carry all of it collectively into one large effervescent pasta bake.

Right this moment is a kind of days!

1. Crisp bacon (no oil)

1. First, prepare 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!

2. Drain on paper towels, leaving the fats within the pan (we’ll use this to prepare dinner the hen). The bacon will go crispy when it cools, then chop into items.

2. Making the pasta bake

1. Toss the hen within the Italian herbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

2. Sear – Utilizing a really large 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 means of inside, it should 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 happening, proper??!)

3. Sauté the onion and garlic with the chilli flakes and dried oregano – good trick for bringing out further flavour from dried herbs! Then add the wine and simmer quickly to principally cut back – this cooks out the alcohol and removes the winey flavour, simply abandoning tasty flavour which provides slightly something-something into the sauce.

4. Sauce – Subsequent, prepare dinner off the tomato paste. Much 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.

5. 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 carry 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.

6. Add-ins – Add the newborn spinach, tomato, cooked pasta and bacon in that order, so the heavier add-ins overwhelm the appreciable quantity of child spinach.

   Oh! For those who keep in mind, you may maintain again a little bit of bacon for sprinkling on on the finish. However to be sincere, I normally overlook.

7. Combine properly – Give all of it stir to combine all of it collectively. You DID use a giant pan, proper?? 🙂 For those who didn’t, that is the half the place you’ll begin crying or cursing – been there, achieved that!

8. Baking pan – Switch to a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ pan and degree the floor.

9. Cheese it! Prime with mozzarella then parmesan cheese. Doing it on this order offers the floor a beautiful golden crust due to the parmesan, but it surely’s not the top of the world in the event you do it the opposite method.

10. Bake for simply 25 minutes till the cheese is melted with some pretty golden spots. Relaxation for five minutes, simply to let it settle so the sauce clings to the pasta a bit higher. Then serve!

Full meal – veg, starch, protein!

It isn’t usually I get to let you know {that a} pasta dish is an entire meal, so let me benefit from the second. This one’s acquired all of it! Starch, protein and loads of greens – the tomato passata (sure it’s a vegetable!), chunks of contemporary tomato and quantity of child spinach too.

Which suggests – in contrast to most of my creamy pasta bakes – no must make a salad for the facet to spherical out the meal. At all times a bonus with regards to selecting what to make for dinner tonight, proper?? – Nagi x

PS Having simply made that assertion, I simply realised the picture above has a facet 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 one more recipe I used to be capturing so I simply grabbed it as a background prop for the picture!

PPS Regardless of saying this can be a full meal, a facet of garlic bread would definitely take dinner to a different degree!

Watch how one can make it

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Rooster pasta bake

Writer: Nagi

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook dinner: 45 minutes

Predominant

Italian-esque, Western

Servings6 – 6 folks

Faucet or hover to scale

Recipe video above. Every thing a hen pasta bake ought to be – large, juicy, bubbly, cosy, with a great deal of further tasty sauce, scorching seasoned hen, bacon and loads of cheese. Good change from the same old creamy pasta bakes!It is a full meal with starch, protein and veg so you will not want a facet 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.

• Crisp bacon – Put bacon in an unheated very massive 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 – Prime up bacon fats with olive oil in the event you don’t have not less than 1 tbsp. Enhance warmth to excessive. Cook dinner hen for 3 minutes till gentle golden on the surface however nonetheless uncooked inside. Take away right into a bowl with a slotted spoon.

• Sauce – In the identical pan, prepare 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 principally evaporated. Add tomato paste and prepare 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 properly.

• Assemble – Switch to 23 x 33cm/9 x 13″ pan. Prime with mozzarella then parmesan. Bake 25 minutes till melted with some golden spots.

• Serve – Stand for five minutes then serve!

Recipe Notes:

1. Rooster thighs maintain up greatest in pasta bakes as they keep juicy by means of the double/triple prepare dinner. Nonetheless, breast may even work although I’d reduce it slightly 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 offered 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 maintain for 3 days within the fridge or freezer for 3 months.
Make-ahead – Greatest 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 reasonably hearty pasta bake due to all of the add-ins so it ought to be sufficient for six normal servings.

Vitamin Data:

Energy: 567cal (28%)Carbohydrates: 23g (8%)Protein: 38g (76%)Fats: 35g (54%)Saturated Fats: 14g (88%)Polyunsaturated Fats: 5gMonounsaturated Fats: 13gTrans Fats: 0.1gLdl cholesterol: 141mg (47%)Sodium: 1845mg (80%)Potassium: 996mg (28%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 9g (10%)Vitamin A: 2291IU (46%)Vitamin C: 24mg (29%)Calcium: 457mg (46%)Iron: 4mg (22%)

Key phrases: Rooster Pasta Bake, pasta bake, tomato sauce for pasta bake

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