One Pot Creamy Tomato Chicken Pasta Bake (no cream)
User Reviews
4.8
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Prep Time
5 mins
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Cook Time
30 mins
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Total Time
35 mins
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Servings
6
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Calories
469 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Dinner
One Pot Creamy Tomato Chicken Pasta Bake (no cream)
Description
One Pot Creamy Tomato Chicken Pasta Bake (no cream) relies on a sauce made from melting butter and sautéing onion and garlic to develop flavor, then thickening with flour and milk. Tomato passata gives the sauce a fresh, slightly tangy tomato base, balanced by optional added sugar to soften acidity. The sauce is mixed with dry pasta, shredded chicken, and sharp cheddar cheese, then baked with mozzarella topping to create a creamy, cheesy casserole. This method avoids cream but delivers a smooth, rich texture from the milk and cheese combination.
The baking step with a covered dish ensures the pasta finishes cooking evenly and the cheese melts thoroughly. Removing the cover in the last minutes helps form a golden crust. Fresh basil and Parmesan garnish add an herbal and umami lift if desired.
Tomato passata can be substituted with pureed canned tomatoes or pasta sauce, adjusting salt accordingly. A deep skillet or casserole dish is recommended to avoid spillage during stove-top cooking. This recipe yields about six servings.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter unsalted
- 1 onion diced, small
- 2 garlic minced, cloves
- 6 tbsp / 1/2 cup plain flour
- 2 cups milk (500ml)
- 2 cups tomato passata (500ml) (Note 1)
- 1 cup water (or chicken or vegetable broth) (250ml)
- 2 tsp salt
- black pepper
- 3 cups ziti pasta uncooked, or penne pasta, dried
- 2 cups chicken shredded, cooked
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- black pepper
Garnish (optional)
- basil fresh leaves
- Parmesan Cheese freshly grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
- Melt butter in a deep fry pan or skillet (Note 2) over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the flour and stir to combine, then cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the milk and whisk for 1 minute, in small circles around the fry pan, until it starts to thicken. Then add the tomato passata, water, salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium high and cook for around 5 minutes or until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon (see photo below). Whisk occasionally for the first 3 minutes, then whisk constantly for the last 2 minutes.
- Do a taste test and add 1 to 2 tsp of sugar if it is a bit sour (depends on quality of passata you use).
- Add the ziti/penne, chicken and cheddar cheese and mix through. Leave it to cook for around 1 minute on the stove, then take it off the stove.
- Scatter with mozzarella cheese. Cover with a lid or foil (Note 3) and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the lid/foil and bake for a further 5 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with fresh basil leaves and grated parmesan, if desired.
Notes
- Use tomato passata or pureed canned tomatoes; reduce salt if substituting store-bought pasta sauce as it is pre-seasoned.
- Use a sufficiently deep skillet or casserole to prevent spillage while cooking the sauce and pasta.
- If no lid matches your pan, foil or a baking tray works for covering during baking.
- Add 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar to the sauce if it tastes too acidic after cooking with passata.
- Yields approximately six servings.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 469 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 344g | |
| Calories | 469cal | 23% |
| Carbohydrates | 39.9g | 13% |
| Protein | 33.8g | 68% |
| Fat | 19.7g | 30% |
| Saturated Fat | 10.8g | 54% |
| Cholesterol | 94mg | 31% |
| Sodium | 1261mg | 53% |
| Potassium | 178mg | 4% |
| Fiber | 2.8g | 11% |
| Sugar | 8.4g | 17% |
| Vitamin A | 1250IU | 25% |
| Vitamin C | 13.2mg | 15% |
| Calcium | 380mg | 38% |
| Iron | 3.1mg | 17% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
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