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Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake

Ingredients

250g wholewheat penne pasta
250g broccoli
2 leeks, sliced
4 cooked chicken breasts or leftover roast chicken about 350g in total
500ml semi-skimmed milk
30g cornflour
85g mature cheese
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
20g parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 tsp dried oregano
3 tbsp dried wholemeal breadcrumbs

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C / Gas 5. Cook the pasta in a large pan according to packet instructions.

Trim the broccoli into small florets and slice the stalks. Add all the broccoli and the leeks to the pasta for the last 5 minutes.

When just tender, drain well, reserving about 250ml of the cooking water. Tip the pasta and vegetables into a large ovenproof dish. Skin the chicken and cut into small chunks and add to the dish.

Blend a little of the milk with the cornflour to a paste in a jug. Heat the remaining milk and reserved cooking water in the same pan until on the point of boiling. Pour about a cupful onto the cornflour paste and the stir well, then pour this into the simmering milky water and stir briskly with a wooden spoon until it thickens, remove from the heat and mix in the mature cheese. Season to taste.

Pour the sauce over the pasta, stirring gently with a fork. Nestle the tomato halves into the mixture, then sprinkle with the parmesan, oregano and breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 minutes until bubbling and crispy on top. Serve hot.