1Finely chop the leek, celery, shallot, and garlic. Halve the courgette lengthways, remove the seeds, and finely chop the flesh. Shred the broccoli into small bites and roughly chop the cavolo nero or kale.
2Heat a large pan over medium heat with a little olive oil. Add the leek, celery, shallot, courgette, and garlic with a pinch of salt. Sauté for 8-10 minutes until softened, then add rosemary and black pepper.
3Mix in the flour and cook for a minute. Gradually pour in the milk, stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Add the stock cube and Dijon mustard, then simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened but still saucey. Loosen with more milk if needed.
4Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 8 minutes until al dente, then drain and set aside.
5Stir the chicken, peas, cavolo nero, and broccoli into the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes until vibrant and cooked down. If it’s not saucy enough add a splash more milk as you don’t want it dry!
6Turn off the heat, stir in the cheese to melt, and season to taste. Mix in the cooked pasta and transfer to a baking dish.
7Blitz the bread, garlic, basil, parsley, and salt into crumbs, then scatter over the pasta.
8Bake at 195°C fan for 15 minutes until golden. Rest before serving, I like to have it with a side salad.
Ingredients
1 head broccoli
1 leek
2 handfuls kale or cavolo nero
1 courgette, deseeded
2 cloves garlic
2 sticks celery
1 banana shallot or small red onion
100 g peas
200 g dry-weight pasta
80 g grated strong cheese
1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
1 chicken stock cube
0.5 tsp dried rosemary or fresh
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
650 ml semi-skimmed milk
250 g cooked weight shredded chicken
80 g whole grain bread
1 small clove garlic
1 handful fresh basil
1 handful fresh parsley
1 pinch salt
Equipment
large panolive oilwooden spatulasmall saucepanbaking dishfood processor