HEALTHY CHICKEN PASTA BAKE

Healthy chicken pasta bake image

Try this healthy chicken pasta bake with peppers, courgette and ricotta for a nutritious midweek dinner. It's sure to be a hit with everyone

Provided by Sara Buenfeld

Categories Dinner

Time 1h

Number Of Ingredients 14

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Ingredients

300g wholemeal penne
2 tsp olive oil
2 peppers (we used 1 yellow and 1 orange), deseeded and chopped
1 large courgette (160g), coarsely grated
3 large garlic cloves, finely grated
500g carton passata
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1½ tsp vegetable bouillon powder
1 tsp chilli powder (optional)
25g Kalamata olives (about 8), sliced
400g chicken breasts (2 large), cut into pieces
large handful of basil, chopped, plus extra to serve
100g ricotta
20g finely grated mature cheddar

Steps:

Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and fry the peppers for 8 mins, stirring until they start to soften. Add the courgette and garlic, stir for a few minutes more, then tip in the passata and stir in the smoked paprika, bouillon, chilli, if using, and olives. Simmer for 3-4 mins.
Drain the pasta, reserving the pasta water. Tip the pasta into the passata mixture along with the chicken, half a mug of the pasta water and the basil. Stir together well, then tip into baking dish.
Mix the ricotta in a bowl with 5 tbsp of the pasta water and spread across the top of the pasta. Sprinkle over the cheddar, then bake for 35 mins. Scatter with a few extra basil leaves, if you like, and serve.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 480 calories, Fat 13 grams fat, SaturatedFat 5 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 51 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 11 grams sugar, Fiber 11 grams fiber, Protein 35 grams protein, Sodium 1.3 milligram of sodium