Is it pasta or is it a pie? It's both! And it's a good pasta dish to freeze and defrost as required.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 8 large, skinless chicken thigh fillets, cubed
- 2 red potatoes, diced
- 1 red onion, thickly sliced
- 2 leeks, washed and thickly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 250g fusilli or other pasta shape
- 100g frozen peas
- 150ml chicken stock, hot
- 200g crème fraîche
- 75g grated Fontina or Gruyère
Method
- 1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan170°C/gas 5. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a 1.2-litre ovenproof dish. Stir in the chicken, potatoes, onion, leek, garlic, bay leaf, flour and some seasoning. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden, stirring once or twice.
- 2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling, slightly salted water for 10 minutes until just about done but still firm in the centre, then drain well.
- 3. Stir the peas, stock and crème fraîche into the chicken mixture, then top with the pasta. Drizzle over the remaining olive oil, then bake for a further 20 minutes. Scatter over the cheese and return to the oven for 5 minutes until bubbling and golden.
- 4. Cool the dish completely, then wrap well in cling film and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating at 190°C/fan170°C/gas 5 for 25 minutes until piping hot – cover with kitchen foil if it’s browning too much.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 584kcals, 27.6g fat (13.9g saturated), 35.4g protein, 52.2g carbs, 4.2g sugar, 0.6g salt
Chef's tip
Slightly undercook the pasta – it will finish cooking in the oven.
Baking the pasta dishes before freezing prevents the pasta sticking together.
You can reheat these in the microwave. Defrost, cover with cling film and cook for 4-5 minutes or until piping hot.