By Alison Clark, Registered Dietitian www.achn.co.uk

Healthy Chicken Pasta Bake with Puree White Bean Sauce

Name: Healthy Chicken Pasta Bake with Puree White Bean Sauce
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 400g cauliflower roughly chopped; 1 onion, diced; 1 tin of haricot beans, drained and rinsed; 30g margarine; 50 plain flour; 300ml semi skimmed milk; 300g pasta; pinch of salt; 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; handful frozen sweetcorn; 70g cheese, grated

9 steps

Prep:30minCook:40min

This is an adaptation of the popular Chicken Pasta dish that everyone loves, but by using white beans and cauliflower in the white sauce you add extra nutrition, without altering the taste much. Plus by replacing some of the chicken with white beans you are saving some money but not compromising on taste or protein intake.

Updated at: Wed, 16 Aug 2023 19:47:26 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Good

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories758.4 kcal (38%)

Total Fat23.5 g (34%)

Carbs85.4 g (33%)

Sugars8.5 g (9%)

Protein47.5 g (95%)

Sodium338.9 mg (17%)

Fiber8.8 g (31%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

4 servings

400gcauliflower

roughly chopped

1onion

diced

1tin of haricot beans

drained and rinsed

30gmargarine

50gplain flour

300mlsemi skimmed milk

300gpasta

salt

2chicken breasts

cut into bite size chunks

1 tspdijon mustard

frozen sweetcorn

70gcheese

grated

Instructions

Step 1

Remove the leaves and stalk from the cauliflower, roughly chop and add to a saucepan of boiling water, along with the onion. Cook for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain most of the water but keep about 1 cm of the water in the bottom of the saucepan.

Step 2

Add the beans to the saucepan and mash or put into a food processor and blend until smooth-ish.

Step 3

Add the butter to another saucepan and melt. Add the flour and stir until well combined. Gradually (100ml at a time) whisk in the milk avoiding any lumps, over a low heat. Continue until all the milk is used. Cook over a low heat for 5-10 minutes until slightly thickened.

Step 4

Add the bean and cauliflower puree to the milk sauce along with the Dijon mustard and sweetcorn. Stir well.

Step 5

To cook the chicken, add the oil to a frying pan and over a medium heat, wait until the chicken turns white on the outside - this should take about 10 minutes. Don't worry if the inside is not cooked as the chicken will be cooked off in the oven at the end.

Step 6

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water according to pack instructions. Drain and set aside.

Step 7

Add the cooked chicken and pasta to the puree bean and milk mixture. Stir well. If slightly dry add a dash of milk to loosen the mixture.

Step 8

Add the mixture to a large 3L baking dish and even out. Top with the grated cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese has melted and looks golden and crispy.

Step 9

Serve with a selection of your favourite vegetables.