Cheesy Shredded Chicken & Bacon pasta ‘bake’
Cheesy pasta bake is a firm family favourite and this slow cooker version may become your new ‘go-to’. Of course, this isn’t really a pasta bake, as you don’t need to use the oven at all. You’ll be creating a creamy tomato sauce, slow cooking chicken and bacon, and finishing off with plenty of cheese!
This dish only requires a 3-4 hour cook, so put this it on after lunch and it will be ready for dinner. The only extra bit of work required here is cooking the pasta separately, so make sure you factor in the time for that.
When the slow cook is done, shred the chicken, stir in the cooked pasta and top with lots of cheese. The residual heat from the slow cooker will melt the cheese as you stir, and now you’ve got a warm pot to serve from!
Check out the follow along video below to guide you through the process.
Cheesy Shredded Chicken and Bacon Pasta ‘Bake’
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Hob
Ingredients
- 500 g Chicken Breast
- 100 g Smoked bacon lardons
- 400 g Tin chopped tomatoes
- 100 ml Double cream
- 2 tbsp Tomato puree
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- Pinch Chilli flakes optional
- Pinch Salt
- Pinch Pepper
- 2 Garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 Red onion Sliced
- 300 g Dried pasta cooked separately
- 300 g Cheese of your choice, grated
- Handful Parmesan cheese
- Handful Parsley to serve
Instructions
- Mix tinned tomatoes, double cream, chilli flakes, oregano, minced garlic, tomato puree, salt and pepper in the slow cooker.
- Add chicken breast, bacon lardons and sliced red onion to the slow cooker and stir well again. (Optionally fry the bacon lardons and red onion in a hot pan first for 4-5 minutes until the bacon starts to crisp).
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours.
- Shred the chicken using two forks. Be careful not to scratch the slow cooker pot. You may prefer to to remove from the pot, shred in a bowl and return.
- Add the cooked pasta and cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted. Top with parmesan and chopped fresh parsley.
