Chicken And Halloumi Pasta Bake

Chicken and halloumi pasta bake is a perfect, filling delicious dinner. Easy to make this will soon become a family favourite!

Pasta bakes like this easy chicken halloumi pasta bake are pretty common in our household.

In fact I've got so many tasty pasta bakes (see list below) but to date none that have ever used halloumi cheese, which is strange as we love halloumi!

Also pasta bakes are one of the most popular types of recipes that you folks love too going by the popularity of my chicken and chorizo pasta bake.

So I'm sure you'll want to add this delicious new recipe featuring halloumi to your list of pasta recipes.

You won't believe that this delicious creamy tasting chicken and halloumi pasta bake is made with no actual cream either. Just a tomato based sauce!

There's just something about the way the chunks of chicken go together with the nearly melted cubes of halloumi.

The two textures combine so well and are complimented with a rich tasting tomato sauce.

I spice up the sauce a little with a small amount of dried red chilli flakes.

If you're serving this to young children you might want to miss out the red chilli flakes.

Or if you like it nice and spicy then add a little more flakes or use some mild chilli powder or even cajun seasoning in its place.

This chicken and halloumi pasta bake is the perfect comfort food when you're craving carbs but still want to have something reasonably healthy!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Step By Step Instructions
• Substitutions
• What Is Halloumi Cheese?
• Equipment
• FAQ's
• Other Pasta Bake Recipes To Try
• 📋 Chicken And Halloumi Pasta Bake Recipe
• Nutrition Label
• Rate The Recipe

Ingredients

• Penne Pasta
• Olive Oil
• Onion
• Clove Garlic
• Chicken breast fillets
• Red Pepper
• Halloumi Cheese
• Skimmed Milk
• Plain Flour
• Tomato Passata
• Dried Red Chilli flakes (optional)
• Freshly Ground Salt and Black Pepper
• Low fat grated cheddar cheese
• Chopped Basil (optional garnish)

See recipe card for quantities.

Step By Step Instructions

Detailed instructions are in the recipe card below. But here is a quick step by step guide of how to make this chicken and halloumi pasta bake recipe:

Steps 1 & 2

• Pre-heat oven to 180C Fan.
• Cook pasta until al dente.

Step 3

• In a large saucepan sauté the onion and garlic until softened.

Step 4

• Add the chicken and cook stirring until no longer pink on the outside.

Step 4 (cont)

• Stir in the red pepper and halloumi and cook until the chicken is cooked through. Remove pan from heat.

Step 5

• Add the milk and flour into a medium sized saucepan. Simmer and whisk thoroughly until you have a smooth and thickened white sauce.

Step 6

• Stir in the passata and chilli flakes. Simmer until the sauce has thickened. Season to taste.

Step 7

• Add drained pasta and sauce to the large pan containing the chicken and halloumi and mix well.

Step 8

• Pour the contents of the pan into an oven proof dish. Sprinkle with the cheese and place into your oven.

Step 9

• Bake until the cheese has browned slightly and is bubbling.

Substitutions

• Penne Pasta - I use whole wheat pasta. If you can't get penne you could also use fusilli or rigatoni.
• Chicken breast fillets - I use skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets. You could also use rotisserie chicken. This recipe is also a great way to use up any leftover chicken.
• Red Pepper - use any kind of bell peppers.
• Halloumi Cheese - you could substitute with paneer cheese.
• Skimmed Milk - semi skimmed milk or whole milk is fine but will alter the nutritional label.
• Tomato Passata - you could use tinned tomatoes instead.
• Low fat grated cheddar cheese - full fat is fine but will alter the nutritional label.

What Is Halloumi Cheese?

Halloumi is traditional Cyprus cheese made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk. Sometimes also using cow's milk.

It has a texture that is described as squeaky.

It also has a high melting point and so it's great for use in baked pasta dishes.

Equipment

For This Chicken And Halloumi Pasta Bake You May Need….

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That means that if you click on it and then buy that product I’ll get a small commission (at no extra cost to you of course).

If you do click through then thanks for being a part of Neil’s Healthy Meals!

This is the basic pasta dish I use. 

It's a great low cost but good quality baking and roasting dish.

It's perfect for lasagne, side dishes and desserts. It's dishwasher, freezer and oven safe too.

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FAQ's

Is Chicken Halloumi Pasta Bake Healthy?

Yes this halloumi pasta bake is healthy. Or as healthy as it can be as I've used lower fat ingredients where I can and Halloumi is high in protein and calcium.

How Many Calories Are In Halloumi Pasta?

This halloumi pasta bake with chicken is low in calories at just 391 calories per serving.

Can I Make It Ahead?

Yes. Follow the steps above to step 8 prior to baking. Cover with foil and keep in fridge for up to one day. Remove from fridge and allow to return to room temperature prior to baking.

Can I Make This Halloumi Bake Vegetarian?

Absolutely. Just remove the chicken and substitute with some extra vegetables like courgettes.

How To Make Halloumi Pasta Bake Gluten Free?

If you use gluten-free pasta then you can make this dish gluten free.

What To Serve With This Halloumi Cheese Pasta Bake?

It's quite filling so I just serve it with a green salad. You could also serve it with some garlic bread if you want the dish to go further. Or for extra vegetables some steamed broccoli.

How To Store?

Keep your halloumi chicken pasta bake in the fridge, covered with cling film for 2 days. After that it is better to freeze.

Can You Freeze Chicken Halloumi Pasta Bake?

Yes. Portion it into individual air tight containers and freeze.

How To Reheat?

Defrost thoroughly in your fridge overnight. You can easily reheat this in your oven but cover the pasta dish in foil. Alternatively you can reheat it, covered in your microwave 1 minute at a time until it's reached the desired temperature.

Other Pasta Bake Recipes To Try

Nutrition Label

Nutritional information provided below is calculated using paid for online tools and the exact ingredients and quantities used above.

Rate The Recipe

If you’ve made this chicken and halloumi pasta bake recipe, or any other recipes on Neil's Healthy Meals, then please let me know.

I’d love to hear what you think of my recipe in the comments below and please do rate my recipe 5* if you like it! 🙂