Chicken and tomato pasta bake

By Lee

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 400 g skinless chicken breast fillet, cut into chunks
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
• Pinch of sugar
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil, plus leaves to garnish
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 400 g dried pasta shapes
• 150 g ready-grated mozzarella cheese

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 55mins
Adapted from goodtoknow.co.uk

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion and garlic for 5 mins until just softened. Add the chicken and fry for a further 5 mins, until browned all over. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and basil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and simmer gently for 15 mins.
Meanwhile, boil the pasta shapes in a large pan of lightly salted water according to the packet instructions. Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Fan 200°C/Gas Mark 7.
Drain the pasta shapes and stir in to the chicken and tomato sauce. Transfer to a shallow heatproof dish and sprinkle over the grated mozzarella. Bake for 15-20 mins until the cheese is golden and bubbling. Serve garnished with basil leaves and a sprinkling of ground black pepper.