Chicken Broccoli Pastabake

This recipe is dedicated to my dear friend Danniella. ❤

This recipe is so delicious and can be so versatile it is amazing! Have left over veggies use them instead of broccoli. Have left over chicken use that or don’t want to cook, then buy a precooked rotisserie chicken. Your favorite bottle tomato sauce is fine, or hey try my Easy Roasted Tomato Sauce its fast easy and tasty. You can use whatever pasta shapes you have on hand, but I would really recommend noodles. Basically make this recipe from scratch or make it to use up left overs. Either way you will be pleased with the results!

Chicken Broccoli Pastabake

Time: 2 hours

Yield: 8+ servings

Ingredients

2 Small heads of broccoli, cut the florets into bite sized pieces
8-10 Cloves garlic, large rough chop
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3-4 Boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1″ cubes*
1 lb (500 grams) pasta*
1 Jar of your favorite prepared tomato sauce or 1 recipe of our Easy Roasted Tomato Sauce
15 Ounces/400g ricotta cheese, crumbled
2 Cups/250g mozzarella, shredded
Mozzarella, sliced to decorate top
3/4 Cup/115g parmesan, shredded (1/4 for broccoli, 1/2 for pasta)
4 Teaspoons dried oregano
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Procedure

Prepare all ingredients
*If you are making our Easy Roasted Tomato Sauce prepare it now
Broccoli: Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Place the broccoli and garlic on a sheet pan then drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until tender and browned. While broccoli roasts, in a large bowl mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, and salt & pepper to taste. Set aside. Once the broccoli is finished mix with the lemon mixed dressing tossing to coat. Set aside.
Start boiling salted water for pasta. Add pasta once it is ready and cook pasta to the specifications on the package.
Chicken: While the broccoli roasts, lets cook the chicken. In a sauté pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, chicken, salt&pepper, 2 teaspoons oregano and garlic. Brown on all side and cook completely until no longer pink inside but still juicy, about 7-10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let rest.
Pasta: Turn the oven down to 375°F/190°C. Now make the cheese mixture. In a mixing bowl add the ricotta cheese, mozzarella, salt&pepper, and 2 teaspoons of oregano. Stir to combine. Once the pasta is cooked and drained add it back to the pot and combine with the tomato sauce. In a lightly oiled 13×9″ baking dish, place 1/2 the pasta mixture. Next layer the broccoli, then the chicken, then the cheese mixture and finally the remaining pasta. To decorate, add the sliced mozzarella and remaining parmesan.
Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until cheese is melted, bubbly and browned on top! ENJOY!

Tips:

This is a great place to use left overs! If you have leftover chicken you can use that instead. Or buy a fully cooked rotisserie chicken and shred it!
When choosing pasta any shape is ok, but penne or rotini are great for holding on to the sauce and cheese!

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