Pasta Bake - with creamy cauliflower white sauce

This is a crowd pleaser & your fussy family won’t even know that its loaded with vegetables. I put a bit of effort into this meal, theres a few steps but theres always enough for a second meal the following night, which means a night off cooking, just reheat.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups uncooked pasta (I use the San Remo red lentil pasta)

  • 500g diced chicken thigh

  • 1/2 head of cauliflower

  • 2 handfuls spinach

  • 2 cups pumpkin, diced into 1 cm cubes

  • 2 Tbsp butter

  • 3 Tbsp flour

  • 1 cup milk

  • 1/2 cup stock

  • 1 Cup grated cheese + additional for the topping

Instructions

  1. In a large pot melt butter on medium heat & add flour to make a thick paste. Cook this off for 1-2 minutes.

  2. Over a medium heat gradually add milk & stock and whisk to remove any lumps.

  3. Add diced cauliflower florets to the white sauce and simmer till tender. With a stick blender puree the cauliflower into the white sauce.

  4. Add 1 cup of cheese to the white sauce and mix until melted (do not boil the cheese)

  5. Pour white sauce into a large baking dish - keep this dirty pot to boil up the pasta.

  6. Cook the packet of pasta as per cooking instructions, drain and add to the white sauce.

  7. (Chicken) Heat a pan and brown your chicken, then mix into white sauce.

  8. Steam pumpkin till tender & stir through white sauce.

  9. Stir through spinach, this will wilt.

  10. Add grated cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes.


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