Chicken and mushroom pasta bake says pure comfort food. When the weather drops and you’re looking for comfort food this pasta dish is just like wrapping yourself in a thick, long scarf of comfort.
Moist chicken thighs with mushrooms in a creamy blue cheese sauce, flavoured with tarragon, and baked till bubbling with golden cheesy deliciousness.
easy to put together
Pasta bakes are easy to put together especially with Delia Smith’s cheats white sauce recipe that puts milk, butter and flour into the pot at the same time. No more making a roux and you have a smooth, lump free sauce to add your ingredients to.
Saute off the chicken and mushrooms for a few minutes and add that into your very flavourful sauce.
Pour everything into your baking dish and sprinkle with cheese and you are good to go.
It really does pay to make two pasta bakes at the same time and freeze one for a hands free night off from the kitchen. We like!
freezing chicken and mushroom pasta bake
This is exactly the type of dish we love to make ahead and have in the freezer ready for a complete hands free meal. You simply take it from the freezer and allow to thaw, generally overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat your oven and bake away till it’s golden and bubbling.
chicken
Chicken thighs are recommended for easy chicken and mushroom pasta bake as they are much moister than breast meat. If you’ve not tried chicken thighs before give them a go.
They’re economical and if using them on the bone with skin they are perfect for grilling or braising.
They are considered the ‘dark meat’ which is so flavourful and juicy. They also contain more fat than breasts, which is a major source of flavour.
what pasta shape to use
We always like to have a pantry loaded with different pasta shapes as pasta is just one of those meals you can make in minutes using loads of different ingredients.
We’ve used pasta elbows for this pasta bake as they hold a load of sauce and filling. But you can use any of these shapes.
- penne
- fusilli
- macaroni
- orecchiette
- bow ties
- spirals
- rigatoni
- shells
cheats blue cheese sauce
This all in one sauce is based on a Delia Smith sauce that we have adapted. The days of making a roux based béchamel are long gone.
This sauce is super easy, all in together at the same time and never fails. Weʼve added rich and spicy blue cheese. Don’t like blue cheese simply swap the blue out for a tasty cheddar and you’re on your way to chicken and mushroom pasta bake.
Mushrooms
You can use a wide variety of mushrooms in this pasta bake. We’ve used field mushrooms that have rich, dark gills with a robust almost ‘meaty’ flavour with a dense, spongy texture.
you can use
- portobella mushrooms which have a deep rich flavour
- Swiss browns which have a firm texture and less moisture so they hold their shape
- button mushrooms which have a firm, delicate texture and mild flavour
pasta bakes
You can use the sauce and pasta and change up the ingredients to make other pasta bakes. Use and short pasta shape you like and add any cooked or raw meat or seafood. Think of sausage, ham, tuna or any vegetables you like.
Just keep the ratios the same and you can turn most meat and veg combinations into a pasta bake.
Basically anything that’s smothered in a creamy cheese sauce and baked is going to taste delicious.
Check out some more winning pasta recipes
click on the link for the recipe….Cauliflower Pasta Bake with Bacon and Mushroom
click on the link for the recipe…..chorizo prawn pasta quick spicy
click on the link for the recipe…Ravioli with Asparagus and Bacon
click on the link for the recipe…..easy quick tuna pasta
click on the link for the recipe…..prawn pesto and chargrilled capsicum pasta
What’s your favourite pasta bake recipe? We would love to hear from you in the comments below when you make this comforting chicken and mushroom pasta bake.
Chicken and Mushroom Pasta Bake
Chicken and mushroom pasta bake is pure comfort food for those days you just want to curl up and lock the world out.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 600 ml (1 pint) full cream milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fine white pepper
- 40 g (1/2 ounce) butter
- 40 g (1 1/2 ounces plain (all purpose) flour
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
- 50 g (2 ounces) strong blue cheese such as gorgonzola ( if you don't like blue cheese use a tasty cheddar instead)
Pasta
- 300 g (10 ounces) dried elbow pasta ( or use shells, penne, fusilli etc)
- 450 g (1 pound) boned, skinned chicken thighs (3 large thighs) chopped into smallish pieces
- 250 g (1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 50 g (2 ounces) blue cheese or grated tasty cheddar
- 100 g (4 ounces) grated mozzarella cheese
Instructions
sauce
- place milk, butter, flour, pepper, salt, tarragon and nutmeg into a heavy based saucepan over medium-high heat
- heat gently, whisking until sauce thickens (around 5-6 minutes)
- crumble cheese into sauce and whisk till melted through the sauce
- put aside till ready to use
pasta
- preheat oven to 180 c (355 f) on bake, not fan
- heat oil in a large frying pan over medium to high heat
- when oil is hot add chicken and mushrooms
- saute for 4-5 minutes till chicken is coloured
- cook pasta for 2 minutes less than the manufacturers instructions - see notes
- drain pasta
- in a large bowl add pasta, chicken mixture, pan juices from cooking the chicken and mushrooms, sauce and tarragon
- mix thoroughly till combined
- spoon mixture into a 20cm (8 inch square) baking dish
- dot blue cheese over mixture
- sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese evenly over the top
- bake on middle shelf of oven for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbling
- serve and enjoy!
Notes
- pasta will continue cooking in the sauce which is why we cook it less than the instruction time
Nutrition Information
Amount Per Serving Calories 0Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 0mgCarbohydrates 0gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 0g
