Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Creamy Chorizo, Mushroom & Spinach Pasta Bake


So the other week I made my Spaghetti Bolognese for the third or fourth time, and it was just... meh. Usually it is CRAZY yummy and I spend the whole time totally over the moon that this giant tasty plate is only 8PP! Ah! But I don't know what I did, it wasn't as good. So I was like, 'OKAY. I am not going to be able to live on Spaghetti Bolognese until payday. WHAT CAN I MAKE THAT IS AWESOME.'

So I invented this! It was just going to be a pasta thing but then I turned it into a bake because that makes it totally acceptable to add lots of cheese. And this has LOADS OF CHEESE. I haven't mentioned that I like cheese, have I?

Creamy Chorizo, Mushroom & SpinachPasta Bake
200g Raw Chorizo Sausages - 13PP
(based on 1/2 pack of Sainsburys Chorizo Chipolata Sausages - I froze the rest)
1 Can Bachelors or Campbells Low Fat Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup - 4PP
115ml milk (or less) - 1PP
1 tbsp Pesto Sauce - 2PP
200g Pasta - 19PP
150g Low Fat Cheese - 12PP
200g Spinach - 0PP
6 x Mushrooms - 0PP
1 x Onion - 0PP
1 x Pepper - 0PP
2 cloves garlic - 0PP
=48PP / 12PP per portion

To reduce points: use less cheese, uese less chorizo, cut out the pesto


1 - Put your pasta on to cook as per the packet instructions and preheat the oven to 200c.
2 - Chop up your chorizo (I use scissors) and fry it either dry, with a couple of spritzes of FryLight or with a splash of water.
3 - You can use cooked chorizo here, I just much prefer cooking it raw (also I had the second half of the pack from last week to use up) because all the juices ooze out and give all your veg a yummy flavour.
4 - Chop up your veg (onions, mushrooms, pepper) and when the chorizo is cooked, add to your pan along with your garlic.
5 - Leave the veg to soften for 10 minutes or so (with a lid on if you have one) and then add your spinach. Leave it for a few minutes with the lid on to wilt. It will look like a RIDICULOUS amount at first but you'll be shocked at how much it reduces!
6 - Stir the pesto into the pan to coat all the vegetables and the chorizo
7 - Add the can of soup and some milk (I tend to just add a splash rather than measuring it) and then stir it all up so it combines and forms a smooth sauce
8 - Taste it and decide if you want to add any more seasoning - I added more garlic, a bit of salt and pepper and some rosemary, thyme and oregano.
9 - When cooked, drain the pasta and add to the sauce, stirring all together.
10 - Transfer the pasta mixture to a large ovenproof tray and then add the cheese over the top.
11 - Pop in the oven for about 15 minutes.
12 - When done, divide into 4 portions and eat one of them aaaall up. YUM.

4 comments:

  1. This looks amazing, I'm such a foodie x

    http://whatisinherwardrobe.blogspot.co.uk

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  2. Ooh this looks gorgeous, I'm craving mushrooms at the mo xx

    Lucy Loves To Blog

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  3. I need to try this without the chorizo! Looks really yummy.

    http://kneadwhine.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. It is! I must say the chorizo gives it a LOT of flavour, but if you added more spices and maybe quorn bacon you might be able to recreate it?

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