Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta: A comforting baked dish recipe that’s easy to make with everyday ingredients!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
You all… I had NO idea how much you were going to love the bacon ranch pasta salad recipe.
I mean, I don’t blame you. When you combine ranch and bacon with ANYTHING, it’s going to be amazing… but adding it to pasta (carbs) is the ultimate combination.
So when realizing how much you loved it, I knew it was time to add a warm bacon and ranch pasta to the mix, and even a little chicken to make it a bit hearty to classify it as a main dish.
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Easy Ingredients
If this is your first time here, I must tell you that we LOVE easy recipes that use everyday ingredients. This recipe is no different. It uses:
- Penne pasta (or pasta of choice)
- Chicken (boil/bake & shred or use a rotisserie chicken for ease!)
- Jarred Alfredo sauce (my favorite is Bertolli)
- Ranch dressing
- Bacon
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh parsley (if desired)
Chopped Cooked Bacon
If you don’t already have cooked bacon, you’ll want to cook the bacon before baking this pasta dish, and since you’ll need the oven hot anyway, it’s easy to place the bacon in a cool oven on a baking sheet.
Bake at 425˚ until bacon is crisp. Then lower the heat of the oven to 350˚ so it’s ready to bake the pasta.
After the bacon has cooled a bit, go ahead and give it a nice chop and set aside.
Cook Penne (or choice of noodles)
Penne is LOVELY for this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite or whatever you have on hand.
Farfalle (or bowtie) pasta is another favorite that we have here, and it looks super pretty if you’re feeding a crowd.
Cook your pasta according to package directions, drain and pour into a large mixing bowl with the chicken, alfredo sauce and ranch dressing and mix gently until combined.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake
Pour mixture into a greased 9×13 in. baking dish and evenly spread it out.
Cheddar Cheese
To add some depth to this dish, add a ½ cup cheddar along with the mozzarella for some added cheesy “umph”!
Bacon and Bake
Sprinkle the chopped bacon on top, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350˚ for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Fresh Parsley (Optional)
Garnish with fresh parsley if you wish, but definitely not required.
Freezer Pasta Meal
Do you love making pasta dishes as a freezer meal? Whip up this recipe and instead of baking, cover with aluminum foil (or however you prep your freezer meals) and place in the freezer.
Now I’ve yet to try this myself with this recipe, so I’m assuming that this should work just as great as the other freezer pasta meals. So if you try this, I’d LOVE to hear how it did for you and what worked.
How to Bake a Freezer Pasta Meal:
Thaw in the fridge (may take up to 48 hours) or thaw in the microwave on defrost setting. Bake at 350 degrees according to instructions.
If cooking frozen, bake for 60 minutes at 350˚ (time may vary, so check it after 30-45 minutes depending on your oven – mine cooks super fast and hot- with foil on. Then remove foil and bake another 10 minutes to brown the cheese.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 2 cups cooked shredded or diced chicken rotisserie chicken for ease!
- 15 oz jar alfredo pasta sauce we like Bertolli
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 8 slices cooked bacon chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 3 Tbsp fresh parsley optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 pan.
- Cook penne pasta according to directions and drain.
- In a large mixing bowl, pour in the pasta, chicken, alfredo sauce and ranch dressing and mix gently until combined.
- Pour mixture into baking pan and top with the cooked chopped bacon and cheeses.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove cover and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Notes
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.
Nutrition
Side Dishes for Pasta
Well, my all-time favorite side dish to go with anything is the BEST Side Salad. It’s a favorite here on the blog and here in our house. But there’s a secret to it. Find out what it is and it will probably soon become your favorite too!
Or, serve along with your favorite dinner roll (I’m a HUGE fan of Rhodes freezer rolls… they taste just like homemade) or cheddar and herb biscuits!
More Pasta Recipes
Pasta recipes are sort of our “thing” around here. They’re easy and most use everyday ingredients that we usually have on hand. Here are some of our favorite pasta recipes:
- Ham Casserole
- Cheeseburger Macaroni in the Instant Pot
- 30-Minute Taco Pasta
- Fettuccini with Corn and Tomatoes
- Creamy Chicken and Noodles
- Cajun Chicken Alfredo
- BBQ Chicken Pasta
More Easy Recipes
For more everyday recipes, browse and “pin” your favorites in our easy recipes!
Pin this Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta on Pinterest so you remember it when you need it again!
