

Creamy cauliflower and chicken pasta bake
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets, core thinly sliced, small leaves reserved
- 250g large shell pasta (conchiglioni)
- 120g baby spinach leaves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons plain flourall purpose flourX
- 2½ cups skim milk
- ½ cup reduced-fat grated cheddar
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 1 cup shredded barbecued chicken breast
- leafy green salad, to serve
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Instructions
1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place cauliflower on tray and lightly spray with oil. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden. Remove tray from oven. Reduce oven to 180°C.
2 Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan according to packet instructions. Add spinach for last minute of cooking time. Drain and set aside.
3 Heat oil and thyme in same pan over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until bubbling. Gradually add milk, half a cup at
a time, stirring constantly between additions, until well combined. Bring white sauce to the boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove pan from heat. Reserving two tablespoons each of both cheeses, add cheeses to sauce, stirring well to combine. Add cauliflower, chicken, pasta and spinach, stirring to combine. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
4 Transfer cauliflower mixture to a 10-cup capacity baking dish. Sprinkle with reserved cheeses. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Serve with salad.
Serving suggestion
To help boost your veggie intake, add diced courgette or a cup of cooked frozen peas to the saucepan at the end of step three.
HFG tip
3 reasons to love cauliflower
1. A cup of cooked cauli has 3g of fibre, which is essential for healthy gut bacteria and a happy digestive system.
2. It’s a good, low-kilojoule and low-carb way to bulk out mashed potato, pasta bakes and fried rice. Just mash, blitz or roast!
3. Cauli is high in potassium, which can help manage high blood pressure.
Nutrition Info (per serve)
-
Calories 387cal
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Kilojoules 1618kJ
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Protein 24.6g
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Total fat 13g
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–Saturated fat 4.8g
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Carbohydrates 40.9g
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–Sugars 8.9g
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Dietary fibre 3.6g
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Sodium 237mg
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Calcium 333mg
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Iron 3.4mg
© Healthy Food Guide All rights reserved. Reproduction without written permission prohibited.
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