Chicken and broccoli cheesy pasta bake

Author: Sarah Swain - Food writer, stylist and recipe creator

Photographer: Melanie Jenkins

First published: Jun 2013

A healthy and delicious chicken and broccoli pasta bake is a great way for using up leftover chicken. Really simple to whip up and full of flavour, the whole family will enjoy this meal!

Serves: 6

Time to make: 45 mins

Hands-on time: 10 mins

Total cost: $23.70 / $3.95 per serve

(at time of publication)

Ingredients

More weights & measures

350g pasta shapes such as bows
250g (3 cups) chopped broccoli, in small florets
olive spray oil
400g lean chicken breast, chopped
200g brown-capped mushrooms, sliced
2-3 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto
80g very low-fat soft cheese spread with garlic and herbs (we used Philadelphia Extra Light)
½ cup light evaporated milk
2 cups baby spinach
400g tomatoes, chopped
75g freshly grated reduced-fat cheese
50g flaked almonds

Instructions

1 Add pasta to a large pan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for 3-4 more minutes. Drain, return to pan and remove from heat. Lightly grease a large ovenproof dish (see tips).

2 Spray a non-stick pan with oil and cook chicken until lightly browned. Add mushrooms with a little more spray and cook for a few more minutes.

3 Add pesto, soft cheese and milk. Heat through, stirring. Pour sauce over pasta. Add spinach and chopped tomatoes. Spoon into ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with cheese and almonds. Bake for 20-25 minutes and garnish with chopped fresh herbs if you prefer.

Serving suggestion

Serve with Warm winter salad (see tips).

Variations

Make it gluten free: Use gluten-free pasta and check pesto is gluten free.
Can be made with whole-wheat pasta and whatever pasta shape you wish.

HFG tip

You will need a large 2.5-3 litre capacity ovenproof dish to make this bake. Reduce the cooking time by about 5 minutes if made as individual servings.

Warm winter salad

This yummy salad goes well with pasta dishes.

Grate red cabbage, white cabbage and carrot. Thinly slice spring onions. Toss together in a frying pan with a little olive oil. Heat for a few minutes then add baby spinach and cook for a few more minutes. Drizzle with avocado oil and serve with a pasta bake.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 471cal

Kilojoules 1970kJ

Protein 35g

Total fat 16g

–Saturated fat 5g

Carbohydrates 45g

–Sugars 8g

Dietary fibre 5g

Sodium 220mg

Calcium 310mg

Iron 2.5mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.

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