Chicken Pasta Bake

• 4 whole Tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon Sea/Rock Salt
• 1 pinch Thyme Leaves
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil Plus Extra For Drizzling Over Tomatoes And Cooked Pasta
• 250 grams Penne Pasta
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1/2 teaspoons Dried Chili Flakes
• 1/2 teaspoons Tomato Puree
• 100 milliliters Marsala Wine (optional)
• 250 grams Tomato Passata/Puree
• 1/2 cups Water
• 1 teaspoon Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1/2 teaspoons Dried Basil
• 1/4 teaspoons Dried Thyme
• 1 teaspoon Cream Cheese
• 1 Tablespoon Red Leicester Cheese
• 2 Tablespoons Cooked Chicken Pieces
• 125 grams Grated Mozzarella Cheese
• 50 grams Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 bunch Fresh Basil, Chopped
• 1/2 bunches Fresh Basil, Torn, For Garnish

1. 1.
2. Preheat oven to 180 C. Halve the whole tomatoes and put them into a rimmed baking dish.
3. Sprinkle with salt, fresh thyme and olive oil.
4. Roast at 180 C for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Allow to cool then puree in a blender and set aside.
6. 2.
7. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according the the package instructions.
8. Leave slightly al dente (about 2 minutes from full cooking time, as it will bake in the sauce).
9. Pour the pasta into a colander and drizzle and mix with a bit of olive oil to stop the pasta from sticking together.
10. 3.
11. Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan and add the onions.
12. Soften for about 5 minutes.
13. Add the garlic and fry for a further 1 minute.
14. Add the dry chili flakes and the tomato puree and fry for 1 minute.
15. Add the Marsala wine and allow to cook off for a further minute.
16. Add the pureed roasted tomatoes, passata, water, sugar, oregano, dried basil and thyme.
17. Stir well and taste for seasoning then decide how much salt and pepper to add.
18. Allow the sauce to cook and reduce for about 10-15 minutes until it has thickened up a bit (dont let it get too thick, if it does, add more water).
19. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly, then blend (using a standard blender in small matches, or with an immersion blender) until smooth.
20. Return the blended tomato sauce back to the pan and turn on the heat.
21. Once back to temperature add the 2 cheeses (cream cheese and Red Leicester) and stir well until the cheese has melted and the sauce is creamy.
22. Take off one or two ladles of sauce and set aside for topping later.
23. Add the chicken, and the bunch of chopped basil into the larger portion of sauce and stir through.
24. Add the pasta and mix well.
25. 4.
26. Fill your (approximately 3 litre size) baking dish with the pasta mixture then top with the remaining sauce.
27. Liberally sprinkle over the mozzarella, followed by the Parmesan.
28. Bake for 10-20 minutes until the cheese has melted and is golden.
29. Remove dish from the oven.
30. Finally sprinkle over a few more roughly chopped pieces of basil and serve alone or as a side dish.

tomatoes, salt, thyme, olive oil, pasta, onion, clove garlic, dried chili flakes, tomato puree, marsala, tomato passatapuree, water, brown sugar, oregano, dried basil, thyme, cream cheese, red leicester, chicken, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, fresh basil, fresh basil

Taken from tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/chicken-pasta-bake/ (may not work)