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Dinner recipe

Saucy Chicken and Tomato Pasta Bake with Spinach

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Tomato chicken pasta bake with cherry tomatoes, spinach, garlic, and cheddar for a family-friendly tray dinner.

Start planningStart cookingIngredients
80 min420 kcal4 base servingsBakedFamily FavouriteComforting
ContainsGluten, Milk
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Recipe and nutrition estimates

Recipe times, servings, calories and nutrition notes are estimates for planning. They are not medical or dietary advice. Check food is cooked safely and adjust recipes for your household's needs.

Focus ingredients: chicken breast, tomatoes

Dietary fit: No diet tags added for this recipe yet

Serving tip: Cool leftovers in shallow portions and refrigerate within 1–2hours at 0–5°C. Use within 48hours or an earlier ingredient use-by limit. Reheat once only until steaming hot throughout.

Chicken Tomato Pasta Bake plated and ready to serve.

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Ingredients

What you need

  • 220g penne pasta
  • 500ml passata
  • 300g chicken breast
  • 200g tomatoes
  • 80g cheddar
  • 80g spinach
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 15ml tomato puree
  • 15ml olive oil
  • 2000ml water

You'll also need

35 × 25cm 4l ovenproof dish, 30cm 4l saute pan, 4l boiling saucepan and colander, scales, measuring jug and clean probe thermometer, knife, board and grater

Method

Step by step

Up to 8 clear steps
  1. Chicken Tomato Pasta Bake cooking step 1: Get prepped.
    Step 1

    Prepare ingredients

    For more than four servings, repeat batches of no more than four. Divide displayed ingredients and measured method totals between batches; keep cut sizes, pan sizes and per-batch times fixed, and allow extra elapsed time. Heat oven to 200°C conventional/180°C fan. Set out a 35 × 25cm 4l ovenproof dish. Cut tomatoes into 1cm pieces. Crush garlic, chop spinach and grate cheddar. Cut chicken into strips no thicker than 1cm; wash hands and utensils after handling raw chicken.

  2. Chicken Tomato Pasta Bake cooking step 2: Start cooking.
    Step 2

    Boil penne

    Bring 2000ml water to a boil in a 4l saucepan. Add all dry penne and boil 10–12 minutes or to the packet until just tender. Drain well and discard cooking water. Start the sauce while the pasta cooks.

    12 min
  3. Chicken Tomato Pasta Bake cooking step 3: Build the flavour.
    Step 3

    Cook chicken and sauce

    Heat 10ml olive oil in a 30cm 4l pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken in one layer, no more than 300g per batch, and cook 8–10 minutes, turning. Check thickest pieces 75°C for 30 seconds using a clean probe; continue cooking and recheck if needed. Transfer to a clean plate. Add remaining 5ml oil and all tomatoes to the pan over medium heat for 6–8 minutes until softened. Stir in all garlic and tomato puree for 1 minute, then add all passata. Simmer 10–12 minutes until the sauce coats a spoon.

    31 min
  4. Chicken Tomato Pasta Bake cooking step 4: Bring it together.
    Step 4

    Assemble bake

    Add all spinach and stir over medium heat 3 minutes until wilted. Return cooked chicken and juices, and fold in drained penne. Transfer all mixture to the dish, spreading no deeper than 3cm; use a second dish if needed.

    3 min
  5. Chicken Tomato Pasta Bake cooking step 5: Finish the dish.
    Step 5

    Bake until bubbling

    Scatter all cheddar over the top. Bake 15–20 minutes until bubbling throughout and lightly golden. All chicken is already cooked; check the centre is steaming hot before serving.

    20 min
  6. Chicken Tomato Pasta Bake cooking step 6: Serve.
    Step 6

    Rest and serve

    Rest 3 minutes, then divide the whole bake equally between the intended servings.

    3 min