Name: Buffalo chicken pasta bake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 4 tbsp olive oil; 2 garlic cloves crushed; ¼ tsp chilli flakes; 4 skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces; 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes; 6-8 tbsp buffalo hot sauce plus extra to serve (optional); 1 tsp dried oregano; 100g mascarpone; 400g penne; 4 spring onions finely sliced; 70g extra mature cheddar grated; 50g grated mozzarella

Buffalo chicken pasta bake

Pair the flavour of spicy, smoky wings with penne in a creamy tomato sauce, then top with crumbled blue cheese before baking, if you like

1 hr 15 min total 30 min prep 45 min cook 6 631 cal

Instructions

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1 Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat and cook the garlic and chilli flakes for 1 min. Tip in the chicken, season and cook for 5-6 mins more, stirring until browned all over (the chicken doesn’t need to be cooked through at this stage).
2 Add the tomatoes, buffalo sauce and oregano. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15-20 mins until the sauce has thickened a little and the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the mascarpone.
3 Meanwhile, cook the penne in a large pan of boiling salted water following pack instructions. Drain, then toss with the remaining 2 tbsp oil. Stir the cooked pasta, most of the spring onions and about a third of the cheeses into the chicken sauce mixture, then tip everything into a medium ovenproof dish. Scatter over the rest of the cheese and remaining spring onions. Will keep covered and chilled for two days. To cook, heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and bake for 20 mins, or until golden and bubbling. Serve with extra buffalo sauce on the side, if you like.