Chicken, Spinach and Bacon Alfredo Pasta Bake

Make the popular Italian-American pasta dish, chicken alfredo. We’ve used chicken, spinach and crispy bacon crumbs, but mushrooms are good, too

Method

Based on 6 servings, adjust as needed.

Step 1

Heat the grill to high. Put the bacon rashers on a baking tray lined with foil and grill for 5 mins on each side until crisp. Leave to cool, then roughly chop.

Step 2

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or high-sided frying pan over a high heat. Season the chicken thighs, then brown on both sides. Sprinkle over the oregano and add the garlic, then stir for another minute. Add 1/3rd of the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

Step 3

Cover and reduce the heat to low-medium. Cook until the chicken is tender, about 15-20 mins, topping up with a little water or stock if the pan looks dry. Transfer the chicken to a board using tongs, then shred using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the pan with the sauce.

Step 4

Whisk the flour into the cooking juices in the pan, turn up the heat and keep stirring until you have a smooth paste that clings to the chicken. Add the remaining stock and the cream, then simmer, stirring occasionally for 8-10 mins, or until the sauce has thickened.

Step 5

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for about 10 mins until it is just cooked but retains some bite. Drain.

Step 6

Add most of the parmesan, the mustard, spinach and half the chopped bacon to the sauce, then season to taste, if needed. Stir until the spinach has wilted, then stir in the cooked pasta.

Step 7

Tip the mixture into a large baking dish. Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining parmesan and scatter over the top along with the tomatoes and remaining chopped bacon. The unbaked dish can now be frozen for up to two months (see below).

Step 8

To cook straightaway, heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bake for 35-40 mins, or until the top is golden and crunchy and the sauce is bubbling.

  • Ingredients
  • Based on 6 servings
  • 1 tbsp Plain Flour 1x Sainsbury's Plain Flour 500g
  • 300ml Double Cream 1x Sainsbury's Double Cream 300ml
  • 325g Baby Plum Tomatoes, halved 1x Sainsbury's Baby Plum Tomatoes 325g
  • 6 Smoked Streaky Bacon Rashers 1x Sainsbury's Smoked Streaky Bacon Rashers x14 300g
  • 100g Baby Spinach, roughly chopped 1x Sainsbury’s Spinach, SO Organic 100g
  • 640g Skinless and Boneless Chicken Thighs 1x Sainsbury's British Fresh Chicken Thigh Fillets Skinless & Boneless 640g
  • 500g Pasta, any short variety 1x Sainsbury's Penne Rigate Pasta 500g
  • 0.5 tsp Dried Oregano 1x Sainsbury's Oregano 12g
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil 1x Sainsbury's Olive Oil 500ml
  • 3 Garlic Cloves, crushed 1x Sainsbury's Garlic
  • 750ml Chicken Stock, 2 stock cubes for 750ml 1x Sainsbury's Stock Cubes, Chicken 10x10g
  • 2 tsp Dijon Mustard 1x Sainsbury's Dijon Mustard 185g
  • 20g Dried Breadcrumbs, or fresh 1x Sainsbury's Panko Breadcrumbs, Inspired to Cook 100g
  • 100g Parmesan, grated 1x Sainsbury's Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese 200g
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