Roasted Vegetable & Chicken Pasta Bake

I'm on a bit of a pasta bake buzz at the moment. My weight watchers class is so late on a Thursday, so getting home at 9pm means leftovers are the easiest thing to have ready to go and pasta bake is perfect for leftovers. Since we tend to have it so often, I am trying to find new ways to mix it up a bit and make it a little different each time. Now I have a few on rotation to have every few weeks.



I had a lot of veg that needed using up this week, so decided to try roast them up and use them in the pasta bake. I used 3 different types of cheese, so is really indulgent tasting and gets a lovely cheesy golden topping. You get 4 huge portions out of this, great for a midweek family dinner that everyone will love. Can be prepared in advance and just thrown in the oven 25 minutes before you eat.

Serves: 4
SmartPoints per Serving: 11
SmartPoints on NoCount: 4
Ingredients:
350g skiness chicken breast
4 smoked bacon medallions
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 red pepper
1 yellow/orange pepper
1 large red onion
1 courgette
250g penne pasta (brown for No Count)
60g light cream cheese
1 light mozzarella ball (125g)
60g reduced fat mature cheddar
Small bunch of fresh basil
350g passata

Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the pepper, onion & courgette into chunks, season & spray with oil. Roast for 25-30 minutes until soft and slightly charred on the edges.

While this is roasting, cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the packet suggest - it should be quite al dente. When draining, reserve some of the starchy water.

Cut the chicken & bacon into bite sized pieces. Fry the chicken in a little spray oil until slightly browned and then add the bacon. Continue to fry until cooked through, adding the garlic for the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.

Add the chicken & bacon mix and roast veg to the cooked pasta and stir through the cream cheese. Add a little of the pasta water if needed to loosen it out. Add the passata a little at a time - you may not need to add it all. Chop the basil and add this to the pasta mix and then season to taste.

Pour into an oven proof dish and top with the grated cheddar and sliced mozzarella. Bake for 30-35minutes until golden brown on top. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving with a crisp green salad.