Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta is the ultimate comfort food and perfect for midweek dinners. Chunks of juicy chicken, crispy bacon, and tender pasta combined with Ranch dressing and Alfredo sauce and topped with freshly shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese
Ingredients
- PENNE PASTA. Need to make this casserole gluten-free? Use this penne pasta.
- CHICKEN - Cooked, cubed or shredded. Rotisserie chicken leftovers work great for this dish.
- BACON
- ALFREDO SAUCE. This is our favorite 15-minute homemade recipe.
- RANCH DRESSING. You can use store-bought Ranch dressing or use this simple recipe to make your own homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing.
- MILK
- MOZZARELLA CHEESE
- CHEDDAR CHEESE
How To Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
I love to make this recipe from scratch. Especially as a weeknight dinner. This includes making a very quick and simple Ranch dressing and a basic Alfredo sauce. It doesn't take very long.
It doesn't just taste amazing, but it also doesn't have any preservatives or additives that you'll find in store-bought recipes. If you choose to use store-bought Alfredo sauce, I have found that this one is really good.
Preparing the bacon and Pasta
Prep
- Cook 6 slices of bacon at 400° Fahrenheit for about 15-18 minutes or until the bacon turns crispy. Remove the bacon from the oven. Let cool. Chop bacon and set aside.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375° Fahrenheit.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instruction. I recommend cooking the pasta al dente. Drain the pasta water and set aside.
Putting The Casserole together
- Chop the pre-cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Use a large bowl to combine the cooked chicken, crispy bacon, Ranch dressing, and Alfredo sauce.
- Mix well and transfer the pasta into a large 9 x 13 casserole dish. Top with shredded Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese.
- Cook the Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole at 375° Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes or until you'll see the cheese melted and golden brown.
Tips to cook Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Bacon. You can also fry the bacon on the stovetop, but I've found that using the oven makes the bacon extra crispy.
Chicken. When I am in a rush I'll pick up a package of pre-cooked chicken breast from Trader Joe's. But you can also cook chicken. This is a really good baked chicken recipe.
Cheese. I don't recommend you buy pre-packed cheese unless you are really pressed for time. Buy a small block of both cheddar and mozzarella cheese. It's cheaper and the pre-packaged cheese typically has fillers. Adding freshly grated cheese will result in cheese that melts much easier and more consistently.
What to do with Leftovers
You can keep Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta leftovers for about 4-5 days in your fridge. Heat it into the microwave or you can reheat it more gently on the stovetop.
More Simple Dinner Ideas
- Roasted Salmon. It's healthy, has just two ingredients, and is ready in 15 minutes.
- Chicken Sausage Stew. A twist on a classic stew recipe
- Egg, Quinoa, Kale and Tahini Bowl. An easy summer salad bowl.
- Butternut Mac & Cheese Works both as a standalone meal or as a side dish.
- Classic Ground Beef Chili - The perfect recipe for cold winter nights.
Did you try this recipe? Awesome! Please rate the recipe below!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Penne Pasta
- 12 ounces Chicken cooked
- 6 slices Bacon
- ½ cup Ranch dressing
- 1 ½ cups Alfredo sauce
- 1 cup Mozzarella
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
- Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit
- Chop the cooked chicken and crispy bacon into bite-sized pieces.
- Use a large bowl to combine the penne pasta, chicken, and bacon with the Alfredo sauce and the Ranch dressing. Make sure everything is well coated.
- Transfer the mixture into a large oven-proof casserole dish. Top with freshly grated Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese.
- Cook the Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until you see an evenly baked golden crust. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Hi There, I’m Maike!
A German girl turned American sharing hundreds of easy, homemade comfort food recipes perfect for everyday cooking.
Volker
Looks delicious, can’t wait to try this.