This Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon is a family AND reader favourite (and it makes great leftovers too!). Not a lot can beat a lovely cheesy pasta bake served up with a big side of salad or garlic bread!
Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon is one of those dinners that the kids can polish off in no time – regardless of how many veggies I sneak in there. Peppers, onions, tomatoes, spinach – it all gets thrown in.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
For this cheesy chicken pasta bake we need:
Sometimes I’ll add courgette or kale. If I’m being extra sneaky I might add some finely chopped mushroom too (I’m the only mushroom lover in our house – but they all eat mushrooms if they can’t identify them hee hee hee!).
Type of pasta to use for pasta bake:
I love to use rigatoni for this pasta bake, but you can use most pasta shapes. Spiralli (pasta spirals), Penne (tubes cut on the diagonal), Fusilli (pasta twists) and Farfalle (pasta bows) all work particularly well, with no change in amounts or cooking times.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItI sometimes wonder if I could eat pasta every day of the week and not get bored of it.
Let’s see…
- Monday: I’ll kick-off with this chicken and bacon pasta bake.
- Tuesday: Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Wednesday: One Pan Lasagne Soup
- Thursday: One Pot Garlic Chicken Pasta
- Friday: Crispy Fried Ravioli with Spicy Tomato Dip
- Saturday: Pan Fried Salmon with Creamy Lemon Spaghetti
- Sunday: One Pan Spaghetti and Meatballs
Oh yeah, that was easy – I didn’t even start on the pulled pork ragu or the or the penne arrabiata!! Oh and don’t forget to check out my new Creamy Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake too!
How to make this chicken pasta bake
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***
- Start off by frying the chicken, veggies and seasoning in a large frying pan (skillet), whilst par-cooking the pasta.
- Add in the tinned tomatoes and cream in to make the sauce.
- Combine the par-cooked pasta along with spinach and chopped up cooked bacon.
- Transfer it all to a large baking dish.
- Top with cheese and bake in the oven until golden.
Do you have a favourite pasta dish? I’d love some new ideas for my pasta addiction 🙂
Pro Tip
This pasta bake recipe calls for cooked bacon. What I like to do is cook the bacon first then fry the onions and chicken in the leftover bacon fat for extra flavour.
Watch how to make it
Here’s my full video. where I show you step by step how to make this delicious chicken pasta bake.
🍽️ What to serve it with
This is a great, complete dinner by itself but you could also serve it with:
- A simple green salad or a butter lettuce salad
- some homemade garlic bread
- some marinated onions or
- a drizzle of homemade buffalo ranch < I have this on EVERYTHING at the moment, I’m addicted.
I like it cold for lunch the next day too – although you can heat it up in the microwave with a tablespoon of water – to stop it drying out.
More Super Tasty Pasta Recipes
If you like this chicken and bacon pasta bake then I know you’ll LOVE these too:
Equipment
In order to make this super tasty Cheesy Pasta Bake with Chicken and Bacon you will need:
- A good Kitchen knife and a Chopping Board.
- A Measuring Jug and Measuring Spoons
- A Large Pan For boiling the pasta and a Colander for straining the pasta.
- A Baking Dish. < This is the one you can see in the pictures here.
- Grater (If you choose to grate your own cheese)
- A large Frying Pan or Skillet
- Wooden or Silicone Coated Spoons.
If you’ve tried my pasta bake recipe then please rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing your thoughts and add-ons to my recipes!
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Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon Recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g (4 1/2 cups) dried pasta shapes (I used rigatoni)
- 1 tbsp oil
- 3 large chicken breasts (approx. 600g/1.3lbs altogether) cut into bitesize chunks
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper de-seeded and chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper de-seeded and chopped
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 tbsp tomato puree (paste for USA)
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 2 x 400g (2 x 14oz) tins of finely chopped tomatoes
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) double (heavy) cream
- 100 g (3 packed cups) fresh baby spinach
- 6 rashers cooked bacon roughly chopped
- 100 g (1 cup) grated strong cheddar cheese
- 100 g (1 cup) grated mozzarella
- small bunch parsley roughly torn
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F (fan).
- Boil a large pan of water and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than recommended on the pack. Drain.400 g (4 1/2 cups) dried pasta shapes
- Whilst the pasta is cooking, heat the oil on a medium heat, in a large frying pan. Add the chicken, and cook until just sealed – about 5 minutes.1 tbsp oil, 3 large chicken breasts
- Add the onion and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until the onion is softened.1 large onion
- Add the chopped peppers, salt, pepper, garlic, tomato puree, oregano and thyme. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp tomato puree, ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp pepper
- Stir in the tinned tomatoes and cream, bring to a gentle bubble, then add the pasta, spinach and cooked bacon. Stir everything together, then transfer to a large baking dish.2 x 400g (2 x 14oz) tins of finely chopped tomatoes, 120 ml (1/2 cup) double (heavy) cream, 100 g (3 packed cups) fresh baby spinach, 6 rashers cooked bacon
- Top with the cheddar and mozzarella, and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.100 g (1 cup) grated strong cheddar cheese, 100 g (1 cup) grated mozzarella
- Take out of the oven and top with parsley before serving.small bunch parsley
Video
Notes
Take out of the fridge for an hour before cooking it, to take the chill off the dish (otherwise you might find you get a cold spot in the middle when baking it).
Keep the foil on and heat in the oven at 190C/375F for about 10 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to heat for a further 15 minutes, until hot throughout.
Note: the dish will be a little less saucy if you make it ahead, as the pasta will absorb more of the liquid. You can a few tablespoons of stock or hot water before heating the pasta to ensure it’s still saucy if you like. Can I freeze the leftovers from my pasta bake? Yes, once cooked:
Cool quickly, cover and freeze.
Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then remove from the fridge an hour before cooking to take the chill off the dish (otherwise you might find you get a cold spot in the middle when baking it).
Reheat in the oven (covered in foil) at 190C/375F for about 20-25 minutes until hot throughout.
Add a few tablespoons of stock or hot water when reheating the pasta to ensure it’s still saucy. What’s the best type of pasta for a chicken pasta bake? I love to use rigatoni for this pasta bake, but you can use most pasta shapes.
Spiralli (pasta spirals), Penne (tubes cut on the diagonal), Fusilli (pasta twists) and Farfalle (pasta bows) all work particularly well, with no change in amounts or cooking times.
Vegetarian version:
Replace the chicken with chunky pieces of courgette (zucchini) or mushroom. You can leave the bacon out entirely, or replace it with vegetarian chorizo or smoky chickpeas (chickpeas fried with smoked paprika, cumin, salt and pepper).Also, ensure the cheddar and mozzarella are vegetarian versions.
Gluten free version:
This recipe works well as a gluten-free dish with a few changes. Swap out the pasta for gluten-free pasta and ensure your tomato paste is gluten free. Also, if you’re using ready grated (shredded) cheese, ensure it’s gluten free, as it can sometimes be tossed in a little flour to prevent it from sticking. Nutritional Information is per serving.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This chicken pasta bake recipe was first published in January 2017. Updated in February 2025 with extra information, additional images and for housekeeping reasons.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
It is a very delicious recipe thank you for sharing but the preparation time was way longer than 15 minutes! Not a meal you can whip up in a hurry When I make it again I will prepare the sauce and fry the chicken the day before
So I am a TERRIBLE cook but thought I would give this a go! I didn’t include all the ingredients for personal taste but it came out pretty yummy. The only issue I have is that I am the only person in my house that will eat it and this recipe was enough to fill two dishes! So even though it tastes really nice, I am now stuck with eating this for the next few days. How can I make the quantity of ingredients smaller so I can make this for just one person? The ingredients I used were: chicken breasts, bacon, onion, garlic, penne pasta, salt, pepper, mixed herbs (as the shop didn’t have any thyme), tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, double cream and cheese. I used all of these ingredients and the amounts of them as written in this recipe. Can you help?
Hi Tash, yes, you could divide everything by 6 or 3 – making it one or two portions.
With having a smaller amount, it’s possible the bake will dry out a little being in the oven for 20-25 minutes, so you can knock it down to 10 minutes, or put it under the grill/broiler to melt the cheese instead of baking it. Be sure to use a dish that will withstand the higher direct temperature of a broiler.
I’m trying to lose a bit of weight, a lot of these recipes have double cream what can I use instead?
This was a winner. Husband wanted leftovers which doesn’t always happen so thank you.
Very tasty, my family loved it. Thank you for a great recipe 😋
This dish is now a regular in our kitchen, and freezer. It works perfectly every time.