cheesey pasta bake chicken & bacon

By foodiva

Ingredients

• 400 g (4 1/2 cups) dried pasta shapes (I used rigatoni)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 x 400g (14oz) tins chopped tomatoes
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) double (heavy) cream
• 100 g (3 packed cups) fresh baby spinach
• 8 rashers cooked bacon, chopped
• 100 g (1 packed cup) strong cheddar cheese, grated
• 100 g (1 packed cup) mozzarella, grated
• Small bunch parsley, roughly torn

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from kitchensanctuary.com

Preparation

Step 1

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 190c/375f. Boil a large pan of water and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than recommended on the pack. Drain.
Whilst the pasta is cooking, heat the oil on a medium heat, in a large frying pan. Add the chicken, and cook until just sealed - about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until the onion is softened. Add the chopped peppers, salt, pepper, garlic, tomato puree, oregano and thyme. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the tinned tomatoes and cream, bring to a gentle bubble, then add the pasta, spinach and cooked bacon. Stir everything together, then transfer to a large baking dish.
Top with the cheddar and mozzarella, and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.
Take out of the oven and top with parsley before serving.

Instructions