Rooster Alfredo Pasta Bake Recipe

A deliciously straightforward weeknight dinner concept with a hen Alfredo pasta bake – a creamy sauce with hen, pancetta, spinach and topped with cheese, it’s pleasant. 

Weeknight dinner concepts

I really like cooking straightforward dinners, as a result of why would I not?! I need to have the ability to come residence from work, or toss something collectively fairly merely that’s tremendous straightforward to make, with straightforward to purchase components, and scrumptious all the identical. I really like straightforward recipes, everyone knows this. 

For individuals who like my savoury recipes I’m certain you’re already conscious of my different straightforward pasta dishes equivalent to my macaroni cheese or my sausage pasta bake for instance, and that is hen Alfredo pasta bake is one other scrumptious one so as to add to the roster. 

I’m at all times right here for you guys and what recipes you ask for, and I had the sweetest message asking for this. This recipe is scrumptious and I’ve made it a number of occasions since, however I hope you guys like it as a lot as I do. 

A simple sauce recipe

For this sauce recipe, I needed to make it so simple as potential. The recipe base for this begins off with somewhat olive oil in a big pan. I add in some pancetta to begin cooking it off as I need it to crisp up as a lot as I can within the pan. I add in some cubed hen breast, however you possibly can chop up some hen thighs as properly. Begin to prepare dinner the hen in order that it’s beginning to brown and is mainly cooked by way of (no danger of meals poisoning, right here).

I then add in some chopped onion, and I at all times add in garlic for flavour, and I’m a garlic lover so I at all times add in additional than a recipe suggests, however I’ll put a scrumptious minimal within the recipe beneath. 

The flour is designed to coat the onions, pancetta, and hen to assist thicken the sauce in a while, so you should begin to fry that off. I take advantage of milk and a mixture of single cream for the proper degree of fats content material. Salt and pepper, and somewhat mustard flavours the sauce within the good means. You should utilize any mustard, however personally I like wholegrain. You may also depart the mustard out, or add somewhat nutmeg as a substitute however I discover the extra flavours complement the recipe completely. 

I stir by way of some chopped up spinach that I’ve not blanched or cooked as a result of it cooks sufficient within the oven. I additionally stir by way of some mature cheddar cheese and parmesan, however you should utilize mainly any cheese that you’ve got within the fridge. 

Which pasta do you have to use?!

I’m a agency believer that you should utilize any kind or form of pasta that you’ve got within the cabinet, however you must at all times prepare dinner it for much less time than the packet says as you’ll be baking it within the oven for a significantly period of time. I are likely to go to rigatoni for my fundamental pasta, however like I say, any work. 

You may also swap the pasta for gnocchi if you wish to attempt one thing indulgent and scrumptious, and even one thing else equivalent to orzo. The pasta (cooked not less than 2 minutes lower than the packet) simply mixes by way of the sauce after it’s made, after which poured into the baking dish. I take advantage of a medium sized baking dish, however just about any measurement dish works so long as it matches. 

I prime the dish with some additional cheese that has been grated, in addition to some stale breadcrumbs as I usually do as a result of I really like the additional cheese and crunch that they carry, however these are elective, they simply go gloriously golden and heavenly within the oven. 

Swaps and modifications 

So, as talked about above, you possibly can mainly use any pasta you need. The sauce itself works rather well with some prepped potatoes in a dish in addition to the talked about totally different pasta shapes or gnocchi. 

The spinach may be neglected, or swapped for an additional vegetable should you’d want to have one thing else within the recipe. I take advantage of a brown/white onion, however a shallot offers a beautiful sweetness, or a pink onion should you simply want it. I’m a agency believer of simply utilizing no matter you will have within the fridge of cabinet. 

You should utilize double cream for a extra luxurious dinner, or you should utilize all milk, however it will likely be much less superb. This recipe is a fast and simple sauce on function, in comparison with a traditional and official ‘roux’. 

You may swap the pancetta for lardons, or chopped bacon, or depart it out, however typically I discover it offers such good flavour and a pure saltiness to the dish that I really like. The hen is tough to be swapped out because it’s a fundamental characteristic, however it may be if you’d like. 

make this recipe Free From

To make this recipe gluten free, you should utilize a gluten free flour for the sauce or cornflour, and swap the pasta to a gluten free pasta. As at all times, be certain that all different components are gluten free as properly. 

You can also make this recipe dairy free, through the use of a soy cream and milk for the sauce, and leaving out the cheese however flavouring with somewhat dietary yeast within the sauce. You might want to extend the amount of cream as you received’t have the burden of the cheese within the sauce. 

You can also make the dish vegan as properly by following the above, and swapping the actual hen to vegan hen items as a substitute (similar because the bacon). All the time ensure that all components are free-from if you should. 

Ideas & Methods 

• This recipe is greatest served contemporary, however it should final for 3 days within the fridge as soon as made. 
• You may reheat the meal within the microwave in brief bursts till piping sizzling, or coated in foil within the oven once more till piping sizzling
• You may freeze the dish for 3+ months as soon as made, defrost within the fridge the night time earlier than re-baking. 

• 350 g pasta (cooked aldente)
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 100 g pancetta
• 400 g hen breast (cubed)
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 3-4+ garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 300 ml single cream
• 300 ml milk
• 100 g mature cheddar cheese
• 100 g parmesan
• salt and pepper to style
• 1 tsp mustard (I used wholegrain)
• 50-100 g spinach

topping

• grated cheese
• stale breadcrumbs

• Preheat your oven to 200ºc/180ºc fan and seize a medium-large baking dish

• Be sure that your pasta is cooked aldente – not less than two minutes lower than the packet cooking time

• Add the pancetta to a big pan and begin to fry within the olive oil

• Add the hen and proceed to prepare dinner – it will begin to brown

• Add the onion and start to prepare dinner this and sweat this down

• Add the garlic and fry for a pair extra minutes

• Add the plain flour, give this a stir and prepare dinner out for a few minutes.

• Add the cream, milk, salt and pepper, mustard and two cheeses

• Stir and soften the cheese down, then add the spinach and stir by way of.

• Stir by way of the pasta, and pour into the baking dish. High with additional cheese and breadcrumbs and bake within the oven for 25-30+ minutes till golden

• Get pleasure from with a aspect salad or garlic bread or each

• This recipe is greatest served contemporary, however it should final for 3 days within the fridge as soon as made. 
• You may reheat the meal within the microwave in brief bursts till piping sizzling, or coated in foil within the oven once more till piping sizzling
• You may freeze the dish for 3+ months as soon as made, defrost within the fridge the night time earlier than re-baking. 

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