Chicken, broccoli & stilton pasta bake

A great pasta dish to make in advance for a quick, family meal, or to re-heat for lunches in the week!

This pasta bake is really moist and full of flavour - it would also be great with bacon in too.

I have posted a similar recipe before, here.

Serves 4

- 450g pasta (I used penne and farfalle)

- olive oil

- 4 chicken thighs (or breasts), chopped

- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed

- 2 onions, chopped

- 1 large broccoli, chopped small

- 50g butter

- 50g plain flour

- 500ml milk

- few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

- salt & pepper

- pack of stilton, crumbled

- parmesan, grated

1. Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted water according to packet instructions.

2. Meanwhile, fry the chicken thighs in olive oil until browned, then add the garlic and onion. Once cooked, leave to one side.

3. When the pasta is about 5 minutes from the end of its cooking time, add the broccoli florets. When the pasta is cooked, drain with the broccoli and set aside.

4. To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan then stir in the flour. Using a whisk, over a low heat, gradually whisk in the milk until fairly thick - not too runny but enough to generously coat all of the pasta and ingredients.

5. Add the Worcestershire sauce and season to taste then take off the heat.

6. Return the pasta and broccoli to the large pan they were cooked in, then stir in the chicken and onions, and coat in the white sauce, stirring until well mixed. 

7. Stir in about 3/4 of the crumbled stilton, then pour the pasta into a large baking dish. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.

8. Top the basta bake with the remaining stilton and sprinkle with a generous amount of grated parmesan.

9. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until bubbling and golden on top! (May need longer if prepared way in advance - make sure it is piping hot in the middle)

Enjoy :)

Creamy fish pie

I made this a few months ago after wanting to try it for ages, since I'd never even had a fish pie before! It was just as good as i'd expected - creamy and smooth with a lot of flavour and delicious mashed potato with a crispy, cheesy layer. Perfect comfort food!

Serves 6

- 800g potatoes, peeled and chopped

- 25g butter (+ extra for potatoes)

- 25g plain flour

- 400ml milk (+ extra for potatoes)

- 100ml double cream

- around 600g fish - salmon, haddock and white fish (pollock or cod)

I bought Sainsbury's fish pie mix which is salmon, haddock and pollock ready skinned and cubed

- bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

- generous amount of cheddar cheese, grated

1. Boil the potatoes according to packet instructions.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees.

3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly, to make a smooth white sauce.

4. When thickened, stir in 75ml of the cream and season with salt and pepper. Mix in half the parsley.

5. Place the fish at the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Scatter over the remaining parsley then pour the white sauce on top.

6. When the potatoes are cooked and soft, mash them until smooth with butter, milk and the remaining cream.

7. Spread a layer of mashed potato on the top and fluff up with a fork.

8. Finish with a very generous layer of cheddar cheese and cook in the oven for 30 minutes (half covered with foil, half without) or until golden and the fish is cooked.

Enjoy :)