Rooster Alfredo Pasta Bake Recipe

A deliciously straightforward weeknight dinner thought 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 would like to have the ability to come house 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 many who like my savoury recipes I’m certain you might be already conscious of my different straightforward pasta dishes reminiscent of 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 instances since, however I hope you guys adore it as a lot as I do. 

A simple sauce recipe

For this sauce recipe, I wished to make it so simple as attainable. The recipe base for this begins off with a little bit olive oil in a big pan. I add in some pancetta to start out cooking it off as I would like it to crisp up as a lot as I can within the pan. I add in some cubed hen breast, however you’ll be able to chop up some hen thighs as properly. Begin to cook dinner the hen in order that it’s beginning to brown and is principally cooked via (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 must begin to fry that off. I take advantage of milk and a mixture of single cream for the right stage of fats content material. Salt and pepper, and a little bit mustard flavours the sauce within the good means. You need to use any mustard, however personally I am keen on wholegrain. It’s also possible to depart the mustard out, or add a little bit nutmeg as a substitute however I discover the extra flavours complement the recipe completely. 

I stir via some chopped up spinach that I’ve not blanched or cooked as a result of it cooks sufficient within the oven. I additionally stir via some mature cheddar cheese and parmesan, however you need to use principally any cheese that you’ve within the fridge. 

Which pasta do you have to use?!

I’m a agency believer that you need to use any kind or form of pasta that you’ve within the cabinet, however it’s best to at all times cook dinner it for much less time than the packet says as you will 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. 

It’s also possible to swap the pasta for gnocchi if you wish to attempt one thing indulgent and scrumptious, and even one thing else reminiscent of orzo. The pasta (cooked no less than 2 minutes lower than the packet) simply mixes via 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 suits. 

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 only go gloriously golden and heavenly within the oven. 

Swaps and adjustments 

So, as talked about above, you’ll be able to principally use any pasta you need. The sauce itself works rather well with some prepped potatoes in a dish in addition to the talked about completely different pasta shapes or gnocchi. 

The spinach will be unnoticed, or swapped for one more vegetable for those who’d favor to have one thing else within the recipe. I take advantage of a brown/white onion, however a shallot offers a stunning sweetness, or a crimson onion for those who simply favor it. I’m a agency believer of simply utilizing no matter you’ve got within the fridge of cabinet. 

You need to use double cream for a extra luxurious dinner, or you need to use all milk, however it is going to be much less wonderful. This recipe is a fast and straightforward sauce on goal, in comparison with a traditional and official ‘roux’. 

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

Methods to make this recipe Free From

To make this recipe gluten free, you need to use a gluten free flour for the sauce or cornflour, and swap the pasta to a gluten free pasta. As at all times, be certain 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 a little bit dietary yeast within the sauce. Chances are you’ll want to extend the amount of cream as you received’t have the load 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). At all times be sure that all components are free-from if you must. 

Suggestions & Methods 

• This recipe is greatest served recent, however it would 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 lined 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 – no 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 cook dinner – it’s going to begin to brown

• Add the onion and start to cook 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 cook 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 via.

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

• Take pleasure in with a facet salad or garlic bread or each

• This recipe is greatest served recent, however it would 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 lined 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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