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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!
“This is a staple dish for us, and we always make enough so that we can freeze some.”
Nicky’s Notes
Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon is one of those dinners 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 and somehow nobody questions it once it’s covered in a rich sauce and that bubbly cheese topping.
I love it for busy weeknights because it’s proper low-faff and really forgiving. Got a sad courgette hanging about in the fridge? In it goes. A handful of kale or extra peppers? Yep. You can easily use up whatever needs using.
It’s also brilliant for leftovers, it reheats beautifully and makes a great lunch the next day (and yes, I have been known to eat it straight from the fridge!).
Table of Contents
Ingredients for this pasta bake
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!
Abbreviated recipe
***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.
🍽️ 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.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 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!
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.
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 and additional images. Updated since with improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
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.
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Thanks for the recipe, Nicky. This worked perfectly for family descending on me when I didn’t have much time to prepare. The quantities give generous portions, but that was just what was needed. I liked your very clear ingredients list, method and nutritional analysis. I used ricotta instead of cream, because I already had some in the fridge. I gave it 15 minutes longer in the oven too – paranoid about under-cooking my chicken! I served it with a salad of blanched green beans with capers and lemon; and with garlic bread, of course! That all went together very nicely.
I used gluten free pasta for everyone in this dish, and everyone enjoyed it. ( I usually make 2 – one small gluten free for myself and one normal for everyone else). Love it when I can get away without making separate meals.
As I only tend to cook for two, can you freeze this receipe? If so, for how long?
Hi Liz, yes, it should freeze ok, although it will be a little dryer on reheating, as the pasta will have absorbed more of the liquid. Cover and freeze (I wouldn’t freeze for more than a month), then defrost before reheat.
Cover and reheat at around 175C/350F for about 20-25 minutes, until piping hot throughout.
This is a perfect meal for after holiday visitors to help clean out the fridge. My kiddos LOVED it (8, 6 and 1) and so did the biggest kid of all – my husband! Thank you!
Can’t wait to make this! If it’s as good as your sticky pork belly recipe then my family is Gona go crazy over it! Your pork belly recipe is a fave of ours so really looking forward to trying another recipe of yours 🙂 making this next week x
Could i make this in morning to heat up at night?
Hi John, Yes, so long as you made it, let it cool, then cover and refrigerate. I would probably sprinkle the cheese on just before putting in the oven, and maybe add a bit more liquid when cooking the dish, as it will be a little drier if not eaten straightaway. Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Made it sunday. Was excellent..thought it was even better when reheated next day for lunch ????
Thanks for the recipes! I definitely could eat past everyday if my husband would let us! ( Eat it for lunch too if I can’t make it for dinner????)
Pasta” of course sorry????
I have a question about a frequent ingredient…tomato purée. Is this the same as our tomato paste (in the states)? I did find a can of tomato purée here, which I had never heard of, but it was a 32 ounce tin! 🙂 For 1 Tbsp?? We also have tomato sauce which comes in small cans, and is thinner than tomato paste.
Hi Becky, Yes, our tomato puree in the UK is a thick paste, so substituting it with your tomato paste will be fine.
Here in Greece, what is called Passata is what I consider tomato puree. Our tomato paste is extremely thick, and would need to be diluted considerably. In this recipe, I would imagine that the canned (or tinned if you prefer) tomatoes and cream would be enough to dilute the tomato paste. I too could eat pasta every day of the week. A favorite dish in Greece is pastitsio, which is layered pasta, ground meat sauce, bechamel, and LOTS of cheese. Yum! but quite time-consuming to make.
I’m guessing a rasher is a strip of bacon?
Hi Jackie – yes that right. Must be a UK thing to call it a rasher 🙂
I could happily eat pasta every day too! my youngest can be a bit fussy about veg but will always eat up a bowl of pasta so something like this would be perfect for him.
Yes, mine seem to be getting a little more fussy – I always seem to be telling them to eat their veg!! Pasta always works a treat 🙂