Pasta bakes are such a handy after school dinner and this one ticked all the boxes this week when I tried it out on a few chief testers (you know who you are) Broccoli and cheese is such a classic combination and altho yum hasn’t acquired the taste for broccoli she gobbles up this pasta bake (with the broccoli picked out of course).  I live in hope one day she might just start eating it and keep putting it in there! (she’s just about over the stage of having a meltdown when it’s on her plate,) a little tip with this is to boil the pasta and the broccoli together in one pan and cook the chicken and the cheese sauce together in another, whack together and top with more cheese to melt under the grill..

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Ingredients 

• 4 chicken breasts
• 300g penne pasta
• 1 small head of broccoli
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 heaped tablespoon of flour
• 1/2 pint of hot chicken stock (cube)
• 1/2 pint of milk (add the stock and milk liquid together)
• 250g of white mature cheddar

Method 

chop broccoli crush garlic and grate cheese

In a large saucepan boil pasta according to the packet and throw your chopped broccoli on top to cook

In another large pan heat your olive oil/ fry light

Add chicken breast and garlic and cook for ten mins on a medium heat

sprinkle in the tablespoon of flour and stir soaking up the juices

slowly add the stock and milk quarter pint by quarter pint, stirring as you add

whack in around 200gs of cheese leaving 50g to sprinkle on top and stir until cheese is melted

when cooked drain & add the pasta and broccoli to the chicken and cheese sauce

pour into an ovenproof dish and top with the leftover grated cheese.

melt under a hot grill … serve when it’s bubbling and oozing