Name: Chicken macaroni bake
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp olive oil; 1 onion; 2 celery stick; 1 large carrot; 2 cloves of garlic; 1 tsp dried marjoram or oregano; 1 Tbsp tomato purée; 300 ml passata; 1 handful cherry tomato es on the vine; 200 ml chicken stock; 1.5 cup leftover roasted or grilled chicken pieces; 200g macaroni pasta (gluten-free, if needed); 100g green beans, broad beans or peas; 2 Tbsp Grated parmesan; 1 mozzarella ball

Chicken macaroni bake

14 Aug 2023

by Dinna

Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

35 minutes

Total Time

40 minutes

Background

This chicken macaroni bake is an easy and yummy way to use up leftover grilled, barbecued or roasted chicken. You can use your homemade tomato sauce if you like, but if you don’t have any in your fridge or freezer, just follow the first part to create the sauce. This sauce can be made well ahead - then it only takes 20 minutes to finish off the dish in the oven. Gluten-free pasta can be used for this recipe too. Serve it with a crispy salad.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion
2 celery stick
1 large carrot
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp dried marjoram or oregano
1 Tbsp tomato purée
300 ml passata
1 handful cherry tomato es on the vine
200 ml chicken stock
1.5 cup leftover roasted or grilled chicken pieces
200g macaroni pasta (gluten-free, if needed)
100g green beans, broad beans or peas
2 Tbsp Grated parmesan
1 mozzarella ball

Instructions

First make the sauce: Chop the onion, garlic, celery and carrot. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then sauté the chopped vegetables. Add the marjoram and tomato purée, stir for a minute, then add the passata and the cherry tomatoes. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Cook for 15 minutes or until tender, then process it with a hand-held blender until you ger a thick, silky sauce.
Meanwhile, cook the macaroni pasta according to the packet instructions. Add the green beans to the pasta for the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain and keep warm.
Shred the chicken meat into small pieces.
Mix the sauce with chicken, then with the macaroni and green beans. Stir through the Parmesan. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish.
Drain the mozzarella and tear it into small chunks. Scatter these on top of pasta.
Put the dish in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and it’s golden.
Serve it with a crispy salad.