Chicken Pasta Bake

by Readersdigest.com.au

This delicious chicken pasta bake is easy to make, even easier to eat and so healthy as creamy doesn’t always mean unhealthy.

This pasta bake combines a number of healthy foods in a single nourishing dish. It is made with whole wheat pasta, chicken breast, broccoli and cherry tomatoes, so it is a balanced meal offering lean protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber as well as antioxidants.


Chicken Pasta Bake with Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 250 g wholemeal penne or other pasta of your choice

• 250 g broccoli

• 2 leeks, trimmed and sliced

• 4 cooked chicken breast fillets (about 350 g in total)

• 2 cups (500 ml) low-fat milk

• ¼ cup (30 g) cornflour

• ¾ cup (85 g) grated mature cheese, such as gouda, smoked cheddar or vintage cheddar

• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved

• ¼ cup (25 g) grated parmesan or pecorino cheese

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• ¼ cup (30 g) dried wholemeal breadcrumbs


Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 190°C. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water for 10–12 minutes or according to the packet instructions, until tender. Trim the broccoli into small florets and slice the stalks. Add all the broccoli and the leeks to the pasta for the last 5 minutes or so of cooking.

• When just tender, drain well, reserving about 1 cup (250 ml) of the cooking water. Tip the pasta and vegetables into a large ovenproof dish. Skin the chicken and cut into small chunks and add to the dish.

• Blend a little of the milk with the cornflour to a paste in a jug. Heat the remaining milk and reserved cooking water in the same saucepan until on the point of boiling. Pour about a cupful onto the cornflour paste and stir well, then pour this into the simmering milky water and stir briskly with a wooden spoon until it thickens. Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the mature cheese. Season to taste.


• Pour the sauce over the pasta, stirring gently with a fork. Nestle the tomato halves into the mixture, then sprinkle with the parmesan, oregano and breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 minutes until bubbling and crispy on top. Serve hot.

Original Chicken Pasta Bake Recipe


*Here I'd like to tell you about my favorite diet program that uses a lot of the healthy lower GI foods: Isabel de los Rios' 'The Diet Solution Program'.

The Diet Solution Program favours a long term health orientated approach to fat loss, but not offering anyone a quick fix to their weight troubles. It has loads of valuable data and research to support its approach. I personally investigated the program thoroughly and my mum has been using it for a while now. I have to say she got some great results.

The nutrition plan is one of the healthiest we have seen, a strong core focus on vegetables, fruits, vitamin dense foods, lean proteins, select dairy produce and a clear approach to not expecting one diet to work for all body types. So give it a try and let me know how you’re doing.*