Perfection

Pasta, the winter-busting carb, is the perfect starting point for many satisfying and comforting cold-weather meals. Here are three to feed your tribe.

Smoked chicken pasta bake

A super-tasty, hearty meal-in-a-dish that reheats well, and ticks all the boxes for a low-stress holiday meal everyone will love.

Bernadette Hogg Manja Wachsmuth

■ 60g butter

■ 50g flour

■ 500ml milk

■ 120g tasty cheddar, grated

■ 80g blue cheese, crumbled

■ 1 tbsp basil pesto

■ Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

■ 400g penne pasta

■ 2 tbsp butter

■ 2 tbsp olive oil

■ 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

■ 100g button mushroom, finely sliced

■ 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets

■ 1 smoked chicken breast (about 300g), skin removed, roughly chopped

■ 2 tbsp pine nuts

■ Extra grated tasty cheddar for sprinkling

Recipe & food styling: Photo:

Serves 8-10

Cheese sauce

For the bake

To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan until it foams. Add the flour, take it off heat and mix to a smooth paste.

Return to the heat and cook while stirring for a minute. Take off the heat and whisk in the milk, a bit at a time, until smooth.

Return to the heat and bring to the boil.

Take off heat and stir in the cheeses and pesto. Season to taste, add a pinch of nutmeg and set aside.

Heat the oven to 200C, and grease an ovenproof dish, about 30cm x 22cm.

Cook the pasta, according to packet directions.

In a frying pan, heat the butter and oil over a medium heat. Add the garlic, mushrooms and broccoli florets and stir-fry until the broccoli is just tender.

Combine the cooked pasta with the mushroom mixture and chopped chicken, tip into a baking dish and season to taste. Scatter over the pine nuts, pour over the cheese sauce and scatter with extra grated cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

■ 3 cloves garlic, smashed, skin on

■ 3 tbsp olive oil

■ 1 cup roughly grated sourdough breadcrumbs (crusts removed)

■ 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan

■ 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

■ 1 clove garlic, crushed

■ 2 tbsp olive oil

Crumb

Dressing

■ 2 cups loosely-packed herbs, eg parsley, mint and basil

■ 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

■ 3 spring onions, sliced

■ 1 lemon, juice and zest

■ 1⁄ cup olive oil

2

■ 400g fresh lasagna sheets

To cook the vegetables, heat the oven to 200C, and line a baking dish with baking paper.

Place the butternut squash, kūmara, red onion and parsnip in the dish and toss through most of the oil (reserving a little for the sprouts).

Season to taste with flaky sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Bake for about 20 minutes then add the sprouts, garlic and remaining oil, and cook for a further 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and slightly caramelised. Cover and keep warm while you make the crumb.

To make the crumb, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Spread on a lined baking tray, and bake until crisp and golden, stirring several times during cooking.

To make the dressing, combine ingredients in a food processor, pulsing to a coarse texture. Season to taste.

Cut each pasta sheet into three long strips and cook in boiling salted water for about 12 minutes or until al dente. Drain well and toss with two-thirds of the dressing.

Toss the remaining dressing through the roast vegetables. Combine the vegetables and pasta and serve, topped with the crumb.