This Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon is 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 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 dont forget to check out my new Creamy Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake too!
Do you have a favourite pasta dish? I'd love some new ideas for my pasta addiction 🙂
The Chicken Bacon Pasta Bake Video
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.
- Chopping Board.
- A Measuring Jug.
- Measuring Spoons
- A Large Pan For boiling the pasta
- 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 Silicon Coated Spoons. We have just bought these and love them.
Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon Recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g (4 ½ cups) 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 - (paste for US)
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 800 g (28 oz) tinned chopped tomatoes
- 120 ml (½ cup) double (heavy) cream
- 100 g (3 cups) fresh baby spinach
- 6 rashers cooked bacon - chopped
- 100 g (1 cup minus 1 tbsp) strong cheddar cheese - grated
- 100 g (1 cup minus 1 tbsp) mozzarella - grated
- 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 ½ 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 vegetable 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, pinch of salt and pepper, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp tomato puree, ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried thyme
- 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.800 g (28 oz) tinned chopped tomatoes, 120 ml (½ cup) double (heavy) cream, 100 g (3 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 minus 1 tbsp) strong cheddar cheese, 100 g (1 cup minus 1 tbsp) mozzarella
- Take out of the oven and top with parsley before serving.small bunch parsley
Video
✎ 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.
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.
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.Nutrition
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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Rachel says
Family loved this
Ann says
Delicious...as it’s only the two of us I halved the recipe, we had plenty left over for lunch the next day!
I had a few baby tomatoes in the fridge which I halved and pushed into the pasta just before adding the cheese and baking.
This is definitely a winning dish, we loved it! Thank you.
Lou says
Haven't made this recipe yet but my 9 year old son is making it for us for tea tonight, we have everything we need here, can we substitute the cream for plain yoghurt?
Kashmere says
Does anyone know the grams of the serving so I can count the calories?
Lucy w says
Really tasty recipe, I made it for my whole family of picky eaters and it went down really well! The only thing is when making it next time I might personally add some chilli or chilli flakes to add some spice, but thats just my taste!
Pippa says
Excellent thank you .
Would highly recommend
Fiona says
Hi Nicky
I did an Internet search for a pasta bake with chicken because I had two chicken breasts that needed to be cooked. Your recipe is so user friendly and the ingredients are everyday kitchen items (I was lucky to have double cream in the fridge). I also added in a purple cauliflower and some mushrooms. My two year old and 9 month old loved it too. I will make it again and again. Thank you for graciously sharing.
Chloe Little says
Very tasty and filling dish. This recipe produces a very large amount but is a perfect weekday meal. Highly recommend using the rigatoni pasta.
Jen says
New family favorite!
Andrea Newport says
Love this recipe . We add extra garlic and passata instead if chopped tomatoes . Works really well too .
Afshan Rahman says
Made this without the Bacon and it was a big hit with all the family.
Sue Birchall says
My partner and myself both loved this recipe. Definitely cook this again 😋 👌
Alan says
Your enthusiasm came over in your notes and recipe. We’ve bred Italian Ancona chickens since the 70’s, and always looking for recipes for our surplus cockerels, ranging on the farm. This recipe is a massive winner, used the wing bones, legs and thighs, delicious, scrumptious, . I’ll write this up in my old Italian recipe book. Love your passion, well done.Shall cook this again and again. Grazia
Billy The Crane "London " U.K. says
I have everything ready to go and reading through again and again , spotted something you seem to have missed out , I'm not a fool but what do you plan to do with the smoked bacon , at what point do you chop it up and add it to the dish , surely I am not the only person to have noticed it's missing feom the cooking part , I'm looking forward to preparing Thai for my little sons tomorrow and I know they will love it , sorry for the mention on the bacon but it is missing.🏗🏴🇬🇧🏴🏗
Chris Corbishley says
Hi Billy,
The 6 rashers of cooked bacon (chopped) go in at step 3 "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."
Thanks
Chris
Ann says
Hi Nicky
I have made this pasta bake, several times now and we love it ! Absolutely delicious ! It’s My husbands favourite.
We both have seconds every time and still have plenty left for lunch the next day. Great !
Thanks Nicky.