Good old Mac with a twist or two! You can make it as kiddie-friendly or adult-sophisticated as you wish by choosing your cheese accordingly: from mild-sweet Gouda for the kiddie version to a strong, mature and aged cheddar or even Gruyere for the over-30’s
Ingredients
250 g spiral pasta (cavatappi) or elbow macaroni
salt or any garlic & herb salt mix that you fancy
180 ml spring onion white tops, thinly sliced
80 g cheddar cheese, cut into 1-cm size dice
80 g smoked or plain mozzarella, cut into 1-cm dice
15 ml olive oil and a nugget of butter
2 chicken breast fillets, cut into short, thin strips (about 1 cm x 5 cm)
6 thick slices tasty ham, cut into small dice
250 ml Rosa tomatoes, cut into small dice
1,250 litres prepared Béchamel Sauce/White Sauce (Click here for recipe)
for topping: a little grated mozzarella cheese and more Rosa tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters
Method
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil and add the pasta. Cook according to pack instructions, but remove it from the heat 2 minutes before the end of the specified cooking time. The reason is that the pasta will cook some more in the oven and if you start with too-soft pasta, you may end with a stodgy result.
Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water, drain again, pat dry and place in a large mixing bowl. Splash in a little olive oil, add the spring onion and cheeses and mix lightly. Cover and set aside until required.
Heat the 15 ml oil and butter in a large frying pan and add the chicken strips. Stir-fry on high for a minute or so until the chicken turns white, no longer. Season the chicken to taste then add it to the pasta mixture together with the ham and the 250 ml tomato dice.
Pour in the Béchamel sauce and mix lightly but well. Make sure the mixture is seasoned well then pour it into a large oven dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle the top with a little bit of grated mozzarella cheese and push in the extra Rosa tomato halves or quarters.
Bake in the oven preheated to 200º C just until it’s piping hot and the sauce bubbles through the surface, no longer.
Remove from the oven and serve with a crisp, fresh salad.
Serves 6 generously
