Emergency Pasta Bake

So, it's 2 days till pay-day, all the Christmas leftovers are long gone (for a schmick Christmas feast check out the Tummy Rumblers table). You look in the cupboard… slim pickings indeed! But, lo, wait a minute, what's this you spy? A tin of creamy chicken soup. Hm, ok, a nice start, but surely that can be improved upon. A-ha! A packet of pasta. Ok, the beginnings of an idea are forming. Wonder what's in the freezer… Oo, a bag of frozen peas and corn. NOW we're talking!

I like the Campbells Country Ladle soups, personally, and their creamy chicken in particular. It has the odd chunk here and there of actual chicken, and the chicken doesn't get a strange flavour when you reheat it. They also come in 300g cans, which is the perfect size for a single lass such as myself. Check out the website - plenty of information and some fantastic recipes there too. Of course, you don't have to use the same soup as I do - any brand and flavour you prefer works quite well, I guess I'm just a Campbells girl.

The Bake

250g pasta (I used about half a 500g bag of spirals… depends how much you want to make!)
300g can creamy chicken soup (I also added a small splash of milk, but probably didn't need it for this size)
1 cup frozen peas and corn
Grated cheese

Cook the pasta according to the packet directions, until al dente. Meanwhile preheat the oven to about 200C. Tip the cooked pasta into a casserole dish, sprinkle frozen peas and corn over the top, then pour the soup over (and milk if you're using it). Mix gently together, then sprinkle grated cheese over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted. This fed me with plenty of leftovers for lunch and dinner the next day, so it'd probably feed 4 easily enough, or more if you use it more as a side dish.

I threw it in the oven then promptly forgot all about it while I was doing computery things, so it was in there a bit longer than I'd planned - about 25 minutes - and I think that was just a bit too long - the pasta on top had started going golden as well as the cheese! I was quite pleasantly surprised with the result, although it could use a few herbs to add some flavour.