Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta: A comforting baked dish casserole recipe that's easy to make with everyday ingredients that the whole family will love on a busy weeknight!
2cupscooked shredded or diced chickenrotisserie chicken or leftover chicken for ease!
15ozjar alfredo pasta saucewe like Bertolli
1/2cupranch dressing
8slices cooked baconchopped
1/2cupshredded cheddar cheese
2cupsmozzarella cheese
3tablespoonfresh parsleyoptional
green onionsif desired
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 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 green onions if desired, and serve.
Notes
SubstitutionsIf you want to mix things up or if you're out of some of the ingredients for this recipe, it's really easy to substitute items! For instance:
Use monterey jack cheese
Add cream cheese or sour cream and ranch dressing mix
Store bought bacon bits instead of cooking bacon
Whole wheat pasta
Freezer Pasta MealDo 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.How to StoreIf you have leftovers of this delicious pasta dish, you can store it in an airtight container and in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Simply reheat in the microwave or place back in the oven on 350° until heated through.