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A deliciously simple weeknight dinner concept with a rooster Alfredo pasta bake – a creamy sauce with rooster, pancetta, spinach and topped with cheese, it’s pleasant.
Weeknight dinner concepts
I really like cooking simple dinners, as a result of why would I not?! I would like to have the ability to come dwelling from work, or toss stuff collectively fairly merely that’s tremendous simple to make, with simple to purchase substances, and scrumptious all the identical. I really like simple recipes, everyone knows this.
For many who like my savoury recipes I’m positive you’re already conscious of my different simple pasta dishes similar to my macaroni cheese or my sausage pasta bake for instance, and that is rooster Alfredo pasta bake is one other scrumptious one so as to add to the roster.
I’m all the time 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 adore 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 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 rooster breast, however you possibly can chop up some rooster thighs as nicely. Begin to prepare dinner the rooster in order that it’s beginning to brown and is mainly cooked by means of (no danger of meals poisoning, right here).
I then add in some chopped onion, and I all the time add in garlic for flavour, and I’m a garlic lover so I all the time add in additional than a recipe suggests, however I’ll put a scrumptious minimal within the recipe under.
The flour is designed to coat the onions, pancetta, and rooster 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 proper stage of fats content material. Salt and pepper, and somewhat mustard flavours the sauce within the good approach. You need to use any mustard, however personally I am keen on wholegrain. You may as well depart the mustard out, or add somewhat nutmeg as an alternative however I discover the extra flavours complement the recipe completely.
I stir by means 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 means of some mature cheddar cheese and parmesan, however you should utilize mainly any cheese that you’ve within the fridge.
Which pasta must you use?!
I’m a agency believer that you should utilize any kind or form of pasta that you’ve within the cabinet, however you need to all the time prepare dinner it for much less time than the packet says as you’re going to be baking it within the oven for a significantly period of time. I are likely to go to rigatoni for my primary pasta, however like I say, any work.
You may as well swap the pasta for gnocchi if you wish to attempt one thing indulgent and scrumptious, and even one thing else similar to orzo. The pasta (cooked a minimum of 2 minutes lower than the packet) simply mixes by means 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 dimension dish works so long as it suits.
I prime the dish with some further 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 optionally available, they simply go gloriously golden and heavenly within the oven.
Swaps and adjustments
So, as talked about above, you possibly can mainly use any pasta you need. The sauce itself works very well with some prepped potatoes in a dish in addition to the talked about totally different pasta shapes or gnocchi.
The spinach could be neglected, or swapped for an additional vegetable in the event you’d desire to have one thing else within the recipe. I take advantage of a brown/white onion, however a shallot provides a beautiful sweetness, or a crimson onion in the event you simply desire it. I’m a agency believer of simply utilizing no matter you have got within the fridge of cabinet.
You need to use double cream for a extra luxurious dinner, or you should utilize all milk, however it is going to be much less wonderful. This recipe is a fast and simple sauce on objective, in comparison with a traditional and official ‘roux’.
You’ll be able to swap the pancetta for lardons, or chopped bacon, or depart it out, however typically I discover it provides such good flavour and a pure saltiness to the dish that I really like. The rooster is difficult to be swapped out because it’s a essential function, however it may be in order for you.
The best way to 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 all the time, be certain that all different substances are gluten free as nicely.
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 could 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 nicely by following the above, and swapping the true rooster to vegan rooster items as an alternative (similar because the bacon). All the time guarantee that all substances are free-from if you must.
Suggestions & Tips
- This recipe is finest served recent, however it is going to final for 3 days within the fridge as soon as made.
- You’ll be able to 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’ll be able to 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 rooster 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
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Preheat your oven to 200ºc/180ºc fan and seize a medium-large baking dish
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Be sure that your pasta is cooked aldente – a minimum of two minutes lower than the packet cooking time
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Add the pancetta to a big pan and begin to fry within the olive oil
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Add the rooster and proceed to prepare dinner – it’s going to begin to brown
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Add the onion and start to prepare dinner this and sweat this down
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Add the garlic and fry for a pair extra minutes
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Add the plain flour, give this a stir and prepare dinner out for a few minutes.
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Add the cream, milk, salt and pepper, mustard and two cheeses
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Stir and soften the cheese down, then add the spinach and stir by means of.
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Stir by means of the pasta, and pour into the baking dish. High with further cheese and breadcrumbs and bake within the oven for 25-30+ minutes till golden
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Get pleasure from with a aspect salad or garlic bread or each
- This recipe is finest served recent, however it is going to final for 3 days within the fridge as soon as made.
- You’ll be able to 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’ll be able to 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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