Healthy chicken pasta bake

Sara Buenfeld on Good Food

Healthy chicken pasta bake

Prepare

10 minutes

Cook

50 minutes

Serve

4 servings

Description

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

Nutrients

Calories

480 calories

Carbohydrates

51 grams carbohydrates

Protein

35 grams protein

Fat

13 grams fat

Saturated Fat

5 grams saturated fat

Fiber

11 grams fiber

Sugar

11 grams sugar

Save this recipe

Sign in to save recipes and organize them into lists.

Sign inCreate account

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

Method

  1. Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.