Recipes>Pasta Recipes
Prosciutto, Pesto and Chicken Pasta
by Jo Scarratt-Jones from Eat Well for Less: Quick & Easy Meals
Serves 4
This easy, budget-friendly recipe for Pesto and Chicken Pasta with tasty Italian ham from the team behind Eat Well For Less is a foolproof midweek dinner that the whole family will enjoy.
Discover more delicious Pasta recipes
From quick suppers to family feasts
From the book
Eat Well for Less: Quick & Easy Meals
Jo Scarratt-Jones, Gregg Wallace, Chris Bavin
Eat Well for Less: Quick & Easy Meals
Budget-friendly midweek meals
All the recipes from the TV series
Simple sweet treats
Buy From
Introduction
This recipe uses the Super Veggie Passata from page 135 of Eat Well for Less. You can omit the pesto in the chicken for those that don’t like it – and keep it in for those that do!
Tags
Ingredients
| 4 | boneless skinless chicken thighs |
|---|---|
| 4 tsp | pesto |
| 4 slices | prosciutto, each cut in half widthways |
| 240g | dried penne pasta |
| 400g | Super Veggie Passata (see below) |
| Freshly ground black pepper, to taste | |
| Mixed salad leaves, to serve | |
| For the Super Veggie Passata (makes 3 batches): | |
| 2 | large onions, quartered |
| 2 | celery sticks, each cut into 6 chunks |
| 1 tsp | olive oil |
| 4 | garlic cloves, roughly chopped |
| 2 | large carrots, peeled and each cut into 6 chunks |
| 2 | large courgettes, each cut into 6 chunks |
| ½ tsp | dried oregano |
| 1 tbsp | tomato purée |
| 3 x 400g tins | chopped tomatoes |
| ½ tsp | sea salt, plus extra for the pasta |
| Freshly ground black pepper, to taste |
Essential kit
You will need: a blender, or a hand-held stick blender.
Method
First, make the Super Veggie Passata:
Tip the onions and celery into a food processor and blitz until roughly chopped. Heat a sauté pan until hot, add the olive oil and chopped onions and celery and fry over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until just softening, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, tip the garlic, carrots and courgettes into the processor and blitz until they are roughly chopped too. Add them to the pan and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the oregano and tomato purée to the pan and mix well, then tip in the tomatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes until all the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Season with the salt and some black pepper.
Remove from the heat and either carefully decant in batches into a blender, or use a hand-held stick blender in the pan, and blitz to a fine purée.
Set aside to cool, then decant any passata you’re not using straightaway into two or three airtight/freezerproof containers, dividing it evenly among them, and transfer to the fridge or freezer.
For the Prosciutto, Pesto and Chicken Pasta:
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6.
Cut each chicken thigh in half to leave you with eight pieces. Lay the chicken thighs on a board, the side up that the skin would have been on. Spread ½ teaspoon of the pesto over the top of each thigh, then wrap each one in a piece of prosciutto, folding it around so the seam is underneath.
Place the wrapped chicken thighs on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 15–20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through (see Tip).
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, then add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions until al dente. Drain in a colander.
While the pasta drains, pour the passata into the pan and heat through gently until hot, then return the pasta to the pan, stir through the passata and season to taste with black pepper.
Divide the pasta and sauce among four serving bowls and serve with the roast chicken on top and some mixed salad leaves alongside.
Tip: To check that the chicken is cooked, either gently press a piece with your finger – it should spring back, or pierce a piece with a temperature probe – the internal temperature should be 74°C. Alternatively, cut a piece of chicken in half and ensure the meat is cooked and white all the way through and hot to touch.
Reviews
Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.
Cancel reply
Your review
Name *
Our team will respond to any queries as soon as we can - this may take longer over weekends. You do not need to resubmit your comment.
Please note: Moderation is enabled and may delay your comment being posted. There is no need to resubmit your comment. By posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use .
Be the first to leave a review
Ingredients
Method
More Pasta Recipes
View all
Farfalle with Chorizo and Fig
by Mateo Zielonka from Pasta Pronto
Pasta Al Forno Bake
by Amy Sheppard from Easy 10
More Family Friendly Recipes
View all
Jamie Oliver’s Pink Shredded Wheat
by Jamie Oliver from Eat Yourself Healthy
Jamie Oliver’s 5-minute Tasty Toppers
by Jamie Oliver from Eat Yourself Healthy
More Recipes from Eat Well for Less: Quick & Easy Meals
View all
Prawn Pad Thai
by Jo Scarratt-Jones from Eat Well for Less: Quick & Easy Meals
Chicken Tikka Skewers with Wholemeal Chapattis
by Jo Scarratt-Jones from Eat Well for Less: Quick & Easy Meals
Get our latest recipes, features, book news and ebook deals straight to your inbox every week
