Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon

Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon – a family 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 (obviously that makes it healthy…….)

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.

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!).

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.

I 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 the 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!!

Do you have a favourite pasta dish? I’d love some new ideas for my pasta addiction 🙂

The Chicken Bacon Pasta Bake Video:

Equipment:

In order to make this super tasty Cheesy Pasta Bake with Chicken and Bacon you will need:

• A good Kitchen knife.
• Chopping Board.
• Measuring Jug
• Measuring Spoons
• Large Pan. For boiling the Pasta
• Colander
• Baking Dish. We use this glass Pirex one but you can use another oven proof dish that will hold the pasta bake ingredients.
• Grater.  (If you choose to grate your own cheese)
• Fying Pan/Skillet
• Wooden or Silicon Coated Spoons.  We have just bought these and love them.

The Cheesy Pasta Bake with Chicken and Bacon Recipe:

Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon

Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon - a family favourite (and it makes great leftovers too!).

4.84 from 18 votes

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Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 45 mins

Total Time: 1 hr

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, British, Italian

Keyword: Any Time Of the year, How to make a pasta bake, Pasta Bake with Chicken and bacon

Servings: 6 people

Author: Nicky Corbishley

Ingredients

• 400 g dried pasta shapes (I used rigatoni)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 large chicken breasts 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
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 800 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 120 ml double (heavy) cream
• 100 g fresh baby spinach
• 6 rashers cooked bacon chopped
• 100 g strong cheddar cheese grated
• 100 g mozzarella grated
• Small bunch parsley roughly torn

UK (metric) - **Convert to US Measures**

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 190c/375f. Boil a large pan of water and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than recommended on the pack. Drain.
• 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. Add the onion and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until the onion is softened. Add the chopped peppers, salt, pepper, garlic, tomato puree, oregano and thyme. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• 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.
• Top with the cheddar and mozzarella, and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.
• Take out of the oven and top with parsley before serving.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Can I make pasta bake ahead?

Yes! You can make ahead up to the point you sprinkle the cheese on, then cool, cover with foil and refrigerate for up to a day

• Take out of the fridge for an hour before cooking it, to take the chill off the dish (otherwise you mind 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.
• 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.

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 partcularly 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.

 

Nutritional Information

Nutrition Facts

Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon

Amount Per Serving

Calories 657 Calories from Fat 270

% Daily Value*

Fat 30g46%

Saturated Fat 15g75%

Cholesterol 108mg36%

Sodium 637mg27%

Potassium 911mg26%

Carbohydrates 62g21%

Fiber 4g16%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 33g66%

Vitamin A 3040IU61%

Vitamin C 82.3mg100%

Calcium 300mg30%

Iron 3.5mg19%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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