Creamy Tomato Pasta Bake with Chicken (One Pot) Recipe

A pasta bake with loads of thick, creamy tomato sauce….made with NO CREAM….all in ONE POT! Even the pasta is cooked proper within the pan with the sauce! Creamy Tomato Pasta Bake with Chicken is the last word recipe for low-effort consolation meals to feed a household or group of mates.

My mom makes an unimaginable Japanese pasta bake known as Makaroni Guratan, which is principally Macaroni Gratin pronounced with a Japanese accent. It’s soooo typical of the Japanese to alter the spelling of English phrases to the way in which Japanese pronounce it. It’s an limitless supply of amusement for me!

Because the title implies, it’s macaroni baked in a traditional french “gratin” type with a creamy white sauce comprised of a roux. It was a childhood favorite and I used to nag my mom to make it regularly, however she solely ever handled us with it for particular events. So I received to know Makaroni Guratan  as a special day dish.

As I grew older and began to prepare dinner, I realised why she solely made it for particular events….as a result of it’s such an effort to make! It requires 4 separate pots/pans/dishes. FOUR!! A pot to prepare dinner the pasta, a saucepan to make the white sauce, a fry pan to sauté the chicken and mushroom and a baking dish to bake all of it in.

Shoot me now.

It’s well worth the effort. However I solely make it for particular events…..(they do say daughters flip into their moms….)

However I like saucy pasta bakes, so I invented my very own creamy tomato one-pot model which is actually handy for midweek meals. I don’t wish to prepare dinner with cream for midweek meals so that is made utilizing a easy roux base (don’t let that fancy sounding phrase scare you, it’s simply butter + flour that’s used as a thickener for the sauce). Additionally, when you needed to make a pasta bake as saucy as I’ve made this, you would want three cartons of cream….my arteries are hardening simply on the thought!

This pasta bake is primarily based on the identical approach I exploit for my One Pot Saucy Creamy Mac and Cheese. It’s not fairly as saucy so it holds collectively higher while you serve it, versus the Mac and Cheese which collapses right into a pile of tacky creamy deliciousness.

I hope you take into account making an attempt it! It’s an excellent one for midweek. 🙂 I imply, critically…take a look at all that creamy tomato sauce!! 

Creamy Tomato Pasta Bake with Chicken (One Pot) Recipe

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Serves: 6 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes 30 minutes

Nutrition facts: 469 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 small onion , diced
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 6 tbsp / 1/2 cup plain flour
• 2 cups milk (500ml)
• 2 cups tomato passata (500ml) (Note 1)
• 1 cup water (or chicken or vegetable broth) (250ml)
• 2 tsp salt
• Black pepper
• 3 cups dried ziti / penne pasta (uncooked)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Pepper
• Fresh basil leaves
• Freshly grated parmesan

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
2. Melt butter in a deep fry pan or skillet (Note 2) over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the flour and stir to combine, then cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the milk and whisk for 1 minute, in small circles around the fry pan, until it starts to thicken. Then add the tomato passata, water, salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium high and cook for around 5 minutes or until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon (see photo below). Whisk occasionally for the first 3 minutes, then whisk constantly for the last 2 minutes.
4. Do a taste test and add 1 to 2 tsp of sugar if it is a bit sour (depends on quality of passata you use).
5. Add the ziti/penne, chicken and cheddar cheese and mix through. Leave it to cook for around 1 minute on the stove, then take it off the stove.
6. Scatter with mozzarella cheese. Cover with a lid or foil (Note 3) and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the lid/foil and bake for a further 5 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with fresh basil leaves and grated parmesan, if desired.

Notes

1. Tomato passata is simply plain, pureed tomatoes. In America, it is also known as tomato sauce. In Australia, "tomato sauce" is the equivalent of tomato ketchup, so don't get the two confused!
In Australia, you can get tomato passata in the pasta section and starts at just over $1 for a large 700g bottle. You can also use pureed canned tomatoes.
You could also substitute the tomato passata with a store bought pasta sauce. If you do, then don't use as much salt as I have included in the recipe as store bought pasta sauce is seasoned and flavoured.
2. The fry pan I used was 26cm / 10" in diameter and 6cm/2.4" deep. It was JUST big enough for this recipe. Spillage during cooking was not the risk because this sauce doesn't splatter or bubble, but I had to be quite careful when stirring. It works better with a slightly deeper skillet / fry pan or a large casserole pot.
3. I don't have a lid for the fry pan I used but I have a lid for a larger pot which I just place on top. Otherwise, foil works just fine, or even a baking tray.
4. Nutrition assuming 6 servings.