Chicken and Bacon Pasta Bake

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breast fillets ((350 g / 12 oz))
• 3 bacon rashers
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 cups dry fusilli ((200 g))
• 1 zucchini ((courgette))
• 1 red pepper
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 80 g feta
• 120 g cheddar
• 10 g parmesan

Instructions

1. 1

   Start by preparing your ingredients. Finely dice the onions and bacon. Grate or finely chop the garlic. Dice the peppers, zucchini and chicken. Then, shred the cheddar and parmesan, and crumble the feta cheese.

2. 2

   Heat up the oil in a skillet or frying pan on medium to high heat. Add diced onions and bacon, and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Add finely chopped garlic, and sauté for another minute.

3. 3

   Meanwhile, boil the pasta in water according to package instructions.

4. 4

   Add the onion and bacon and drained cooked pasta to a casserole dish along with diced peppers and zucchini.

5. 5

   Pan sear diced chicken until it’s browned all over and almost cooked through, and add to the casserole dish. Add the tomato sauce, seasoning and half of the cheese, then stir to combine all the ingredients.

6. 6

   Cover the pasta with the remaining cheese, and bake in the oven at 360 °F / 180 °C for about 25 minutes, or until the ingredients have warmed through and the cheese has melted and turned golden.