Recipe Time: Cheesy pasta bake

I never used to be a fan of pasta bakes. I hate the ones out of jars that you're supposed to mix with tuna, yuck. I can't stomach tuna that well at the best of times, but hot?! Yuck! Anyway that's just me.

However I found a four cheese pasta bake in The Co-Op a few months back and it was yummy. It lacked some substance though and was a bit pricey for what it was so I decided to create my own. Below is the result of that! I didn't use four cheeses as that would make it quite expensive, so I used mature cheddar and Parmesan. I also added chicken and chorizo to make it a bit more substantial as a meal and I added a salad to go with it. It was really comforting and tasty and even the hubby enjoyed it!

So here is how I made it:

300g pasta (I used)
tin of chopped tomatoes
1 garlic clove
150g cheddar cheese, grated.
100g Parmesan (I buy already grated)
100g chorizo sliced
200g chicken (cooked beforehand), chopped into pieces

Method:

Turn the oven on and preheat to about 180c. Boil the pasta for about 5 mins less than the packet instructions. As that's boiling away, pour the the tinned tomatoes into a saucepan and add the chopped garlic. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 7 -10 mins.

Drain the pasta and pour into a baking dish. Pour the tomato sauce over and mix in. Add the chicken and the chorizo and then layer the cheese over the pasta and give it all a good stir so it all mixes in. Grate more cheese over top and sprinkle some more Parmesan over. Sprinkle some basil over the top and some olive oil and then bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Serve with salad and crusty/garlic bread. Yummy!

The before picture doesn't really make it look very appetising, but I assure you it was yummy! Very comforting and moreish. Being greedy guts, I forgot to take a picture once it was cooked.