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HELPING YOU TO COOK SMART
Rising food and energy costs mean that many of us are having to think carefully about getting the most from our budgets. To help, BBC Good Food has developed Cook Smart, a supportive campaign bringing knowledge and ideas to help you eat well. Cook Smart also explores the best energy-efficient cooking methods such as hob cooking and microwaving, as well as using slow cookers, multi-cookers and pressure cookers. For more help, advice and budget recipes go to bbcgoodfood.com/cook-smart.
Odds and ends
Try our simple pasta bake – it’s ideal for polishing off leftover pasta and cheese
Chicken & pasta bake
There should always be pasta in the back of the cupboard. It’s a perfect vehicle for carrying other ingredients that you might have less of. This recipe is sure to become a favourite.
SERVES 6-8 PREP 20 mins COOK 1 hr 15 mins EASY ❄
2 tbsp olive oil 100g smoked streaky bacon, cut into small pieces 4 chicken breasts, cut into chunks 1 red onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 red pepper, diced 1 yellow pepper, diced 1 tsp oregano ¼ tsp chilli flakes (optional) 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes 1 tsp caster sugar small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped 3 tbsp mascarpone 350g pasta, any shape – if long, snap them in half 65g cheddar, grated 50g mozzarella, grated
1 Heat the oil in a large, wide casserole, over a medium heat. Stir in the bacon and cook for 5-7 mins, until crispy and browned. Remove to a bowl using a slotted spoon and set aside. Tip in the chicken and stir well to coat in the bacon fat. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook for 3-5 mins until browned all over (it doesn’t need to be cooked through at this point). Remove to the same bowl as the bacon using a slotted spoon.
2 Mix the onion and garlic in with a pinch of salt and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for 10-12 mins until softened. Add the peppers, oregano and chilli flakes, if using. Cook for a further 8-10 mins until the peppers have softened. Pour in the canned tomatoes, then swill out the cans with a little water and tip this in as well. Sprinkle over the sugar and stir in the chicken and bacon and most of the parsley. Season well and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20-25 mins, until thickened. Mix in the mascarpone, stirring well until dissolved.
3 Meanwhile, cook the pasta for 2 mins less than the pack states, then drain thoroughly reserving a mug of the pasta cooking water. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.
