Chicken & broccoli pasta bake

• pasta↗350g g

  shells or quills

• broccoli↗200g g

  cut into very small florets and the stems thinly sliced

• olive oil↗2 tbsp tbsp
• boneless, skinless chicken↗350g g

  breasts, thinly sliced

• chestnut mushrooms↗175g g

  quartered

• sundried tomato paste↗4 tbsp tbsp
• soft cheese↗80g g

  with garlic and herbs

• single cream↗284ml carton ml
• spring onions↗bunch of

  finely sliced

• mature cheddar↗85g g

  grated

• garlic clove↗1

  finely chopped

• flaked almonds↗50g g

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 190C/ fan170C/ gas 5. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Throw in 350g pasta shells or quills, stir well and return to the boil.

2. 2

   Cook for 6 minutes, then add 200g broccoli, cut into very small florets and stems thinly sliced, and cook for 5-6 minutes more until the pasta is just cooked. Drain well, then return to the pan.

3. 3

   Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan, add 350g thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts and fry until lightly browned.

4. 4

   Tip in 175g quartered chestnut mushrooms and stir fry for 1 minute, then stir in 4 tbsp sundried tomato paste, 80g soft cheese with garlic and herbs and a 284ml carton single cream.

5. 5

   Gently simmer, stirring, until the cheese has melted to thicken the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

6. 6

   Pour the sauce over the pasta, stirring gently until coated, then tip into a shallow ovenproof dish (about 1.7 litre capacity) and level the top.

7. 7

   Mix a bunch of finely sliced spring onions, 85g grated mature cheddar, 1 finely chopped garlic clove and 50g flaked almonds for the topping and sprinkle over the pasta. Bake for 20 minutes until golden.