Baked Pasta with Chicken, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Chorizo

Ingredients

• 200 g Chorizo (Diced)
• Olive oil (1 splash, for frying)
• 800 g Chicken breasts (Diced)
• Pepper (To taste)
• Salt (To taste; also for the pasta water)
• Cajun seasoning (1 pinch)
• 2 Shallots (Finely chopped)
• 2 Small zucchini (Diced)
• 400 g Rigatoni pasta (Weighed dry)
• 2 bakje Sun-dried tomatoes (Estimated at approximately 280 g total; blended into a paste)
• Herbes de Provence (1 pinch)
• 1 blikje Diced tomatoes (Estimated at approximately 400 g)
• 2 dl White wine (200 ml)
• 1 dl Cream (100 ml)
• Chili flakes (1 pinch)
• 150 g Grated mozzarella (For gratinating)

Steps

1. 1

   Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 °C with the grill setting.

2. 2

   Dice the chorizo. Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pot and fry the chorizo until lightly browned and it has released its oil.

3. 3

   Meanwhile, dice the chicken breasts. Season them with pepper, salt and a pinch of Cajun seasoning.

4. 4

   Remove the fried chorizo from the pot and set it aside. Fry the chicken pieces in the same oil until golden brown all over and almost cooked through.

5. 5

   Peel and finely chop the shallots. Dice the zucchini.

6. 6

   Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and set it aside with the chorizo. Sauté the shallots and zucchini in the remaining oil until the vegetables begin to cook.

7. 7

   Cook the rigatoni in the boiling salted water according to the package instructions, but keep the pasta al dente. Reserve some of the cooking water before draining the pasta.

8. 8

   Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a blender and blend into a smooth or roughly smooth paste.

9. 9

   Add the tomato paste to the sautéed vegetables and fry briefly. Season with the Herbes de Provence.

10. 10

    Return the chicken and chorizo to the pot. Sauté everything briefly so the flavors combine.

11. 11

    Add the diced tomatoes, white wine and cream. Season with chili flakes and additional salt if needed. Let the sauce simmer briefly.

12. 12

    Add a spoonful of the pasta cooking water to the sauce. Drain the pasta and add it to the pot.

13. 13

    Mix the pasta thoroughly into the sauce so that all the rigatoni is coated and the chicken, chorizo and vegetables are evenly distributed.

14. 14

    Transfer everything to a baking dish and smooth the surface if necessary.

15. 15

    Sprinkle the grated mozzarella evenly over the pasta bake. Place the dish under the grill and gratinate for approximately 10 minutes at 200 °C, until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

Notes

The quantity of sun-dried tomatoes and diced tomatoes is listed in the source only as a container/can; the weights have therefore been estimated. Watch carefully under the grill: the mozzarella can brown quickly.

Nutrition per serving

• main course
• pasta bake
• pasta
• gratinated
• chicken
• chorizo
• comfort food
• oven