This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake is an easy and delicious dinner for those busy week nights. You can have a hot dinner that everyone will enjoy in under 40 minutes.
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Pasta has always been my all time favorite meal choice. For years it has been my go to choice when we go out to eat.
Lately though I have become braver and have started to order different things when we eat out.
I’m finding new healthy things that I enjoy eating, so I have been incorporating them into things like these Parmesan Garlic Shrimp Zucchini Noodles and these Chicken Caprese Cauliflower Nachos. But pasta will always hold that number one spot in my life.
Years ago our kids had a pinewood car race to attend that was a few hours away from our house. We got up early and headed to the race knowing that we would have to leave as soon as the race was over to get back in time for an afternoon soccer game.
It made for a very busy Saturday. That meant that a pit stop for lunch on the go was inevitable.
We stopped in one of the towns on the way home where we could get Subway for us and McDonald’s for the kiddos. One of the benefits to having an older teenager is that he can escort the younger ones to McDonald’s, while we go to Subway for a healthy (ok, somewhat healthy) sandwich.
Killing two birds with one stone so we could get back on the road again. Gotta love that!
My husband and I split the chicken bacon ranch sandwich. As we were driving and eating, I could stop thinking about how those flavors would make an awesome pasta dinner.
Since starting to add dinner recipes like this Chicken Supreme Pasta Bake and this Cheddar Bacon Macaroni and Cheese to the blog, I have started to think about those meals a little more than dessert. It’s kind of scary!
Don’t worry too much though because I still have way more dessert ideas than dinner ones!
On my next shopping trip, I loaded our cart with all the ingredients to make this crazy, good chicken bacon ranch casserole. My cart looked so different from my usual shopping trips.
I am used to seeing it loaded with cookies, chocolate chips, and cake mix. Who am I now? LOL!
This easy and cheesy pasta dinner can be on your dinner table in under 40 minutes.
How to make Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake:
Cook the pasta while you chop the veggies and meat. You can also prep all of this the night before and keep them in separate ziplock bags or containers in your refrigerator.
If you cook the pasta ahead of time, be sure to toss it with a little bit of olive oil, so it doesn’t stick together.
Sauté the peppers, onions, and oil in a large skillet. Once the veggies are slightly softened, add the meats and other veggies. Cover it and set aside.
In another pot heat your milk and cheese until melted and creamy, then stir in the ranch, cooked pasta, and sautéed veggies. If you are in a hurry for dinner, you can top it with the cheese in the skillet and just cover it with the lid until it melts.
But if you have an extra 20 minutes, pour the cheesy mixture into a pan, top it with more cheese, and bake. Give it few extra minutes under the broiler to brown the cheese on top, if you like.
Serve this Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake to your family and watch them devour it. Best feeling ever!!!
More easy pasta recipes you may like:
These Cheddar Broccoli Chicken Lasagna Rolls are filled with a cheesy meat and veggie filling and then covered in more cheese. Easy comfort food!
Adding your favorite dip to this Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake creates a delicious meal everyone will love. Great pasta dish that can be on the dinner table in 30 minutes.
A creamy cheese filling makes these Sausage Alfredo Stuffed Shells a delicious and easy pasta dinner that can be on the table in 30 minutes.
This easy Meat Lover’s Pizza Skillet Ravioli is loaded with meat and cheese. Awesome meal for busy school nights!
Cheese tortellini, salty bacon, and crispy pan-fried Brussels sprouts are smothered in mozzarella cheese to create this Cheese Tortellini Skillet Meal.
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Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake
This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake is an easy and delicious dinner for those busy week nights. You can have a hot dinner that everyone will enjoy in under 40 minutes.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped green peppers
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 - 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup chopped, cooked bacon
- 1 cup chopped spinach leaves
- 1 - 12 ounce can evaporated milk
- 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella or pepper jack cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 or 10x10 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente pasta. Drain and pour back into saucepan. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and toss. Cover and set aside.
- Saute the onions and peppers in 1 Tablespoon oil for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the garlic, tomatoes, chicken, bacon, and spinach to the pan. Saute until the spinach leaves start to wilt. Cover and set aside.
- Heat the milk and 2 cups mozzarella or pepper jack cheese in a saucepan until the cheese melts and becomes creamy.
- Stir in the ranch, noodles, and chicken mixture until everything is coated.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining mozzarella or pepper jack cheese and cheddar cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Broil an additional 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese, if desired. Keep a close eye on it while broiling. Serve hot.
Notes
*This dish has a slightly spicy taste to it if you use pepper jack cheese.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 614Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 1029mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 3gSugar: 11gProtein: 37g
Oh this would make my family extemely happy! We are huge pasta lovers and bacon lovers!
Then this is the pasta for you and your fam! 😉
Perfect dinner, yummy! Pasta and chicken:)
This is a crowd pleaser! – my crowd will definitely be pleased – delicious!
Mary
Thanks Mary! 🙂
This is my kind of comfort food!
Comfort food at its best! Looks awesome!
Thanks Tieghan! 🙂
Jocelyn, send me some of those savory brain waves — I desperately need them!! My body isn’t happy with me for taste testing so many cookie and cupcake recipes right now. It’s begging for healthy real food, but I honestly don’t know where to start. It’s actually overwhelming! But I really love how you’re adding savory dishes to your repertoire (I’ve been staring at your sweet treats on Pinterest for months now, so I know how much you enjoy making those!). That takes courage to step outside of your baking comfort zone! And my brother’s Pinewood Derbies were always really fun. They held his at the elementary school at night, so I’d sneak out with a friend or two to play on the playground in the dark. Such fun memories!
Omg, these are amazing! I’m a huge sucker for pastas and I can’t help it even though I really shouldn’t be having too much of the cheesy carby goodness! I totally need to try a spinach and salmon pasta!
Yum, that sounds good! Thanks Sharlynn!
This looks so good!
Chicken, bacon, ranch, cheese and carbs? That is my kind of dinner! Comfort food at it’s finest! Nom-a-licious girlfriend!
Haha, thanks Taylor! 😉
I’m loving this dish! You are rocking on the cheese and pasta meals girlfriend. Can my kids come live with you???
Absolutely! As long as you take mine!! 😉
All the cheesiness… I must have this. I’m a BIG bacon fan so I’d eat the entire tray in one sitting unless someone stopped me.
It is a good thing that I am not on a diet because I wouldn’t be able to resist a serving of this pasta bake. Look at all that cheesy goodness!
Jocelyn, this dish looks absolutely amazing! My family would be coming back for seconds and thirds on this one!
Thanks Nancy!
OMG-the melted cheese is just calling my name! I’ve got like 20 boxes of penne pasta in my pantry because it’s my hubby’s fave cut of pasta so I need to make this. Looks completely amazing!
This looks like some serious comfort food!!!! So creamy and cheesy!! It looks delicious!!!
Thanks Maria!
Looks insanely delicious! Must try soon. YUM!
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This looks to die for good!! Yummy, cheesy, goodness!
Thanks Jaren! 🙂
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I made this for dinner tonight, and it was delicious. You’re right, the fam LOVED it!!
This was delicious! My husband and 4 year old had seconds, and my husband wanted to go back for thirds of his stomach would have held more! Having leftovers for lunch today, I’m excited.
We really enjoyed this! Made just a couple of changes, I used ham instead of bacon and all cheddar cheese and add 2 Tbl jalapeno. Very good! Thanks for something different that didn’t have a can of cream of something soup! 🙂
I can’t wait to make this! I make chicken/bacon calzones with ranch that my kids just love. Ironically I made them just last night. What I do is bake the chicken breasts in a mix of ranch and caesar dressings, cool then a bit and then dice into small pieces. Last night I took a chance and used buffalo ranch along with the regular ranch. I also added some smoked paprika to the filling. It was fabulous! Even my picky boys loved them! I’ve thought about adding some veggies but I wasn’t sure what would mesh with it and I was too chicken (no pun intended) to mess with a good thing. With your yummy recipe to make and eat I’ll be able to try something new. Thank you!
We do not like ranch dressing? Is there anything that I can substitute instead of ranch dressing?
If you wanted to substitute greek yogurt in place to it that would be fine. I actually think you could leave it out and it would be fine without it too. I hope you enjoy the pasta!!!
Quick question. Do you use bottled ranch dressing or the powder that you mix?
Thanks!
I used the bottled ranch dressing. It mixes right into the cheese and gives it a nice flavor. I hope you enjoy the pasta!
[…] Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake […]
This is a perfect week night meal! I’m always on the look out for something new to throw into my dinner rotation, and this is going in mine. The only change I’ll have to make is the can of tomatoes, my daughter is allergic to them. But I’ll come up with a replacement. 🙂
http://www.everydaymadefresh.com/
Any subtitute for pepper jack cheese.. can we use any other kinda cheese.. plz do reply cuz i really like the recipe n i want to try it..
You can use any flavor shredded cheese that you like. Mozzarella would work great too!
[…] Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake […]
Ooooo this is delicious! My mom and I are very happy with how this turned out!Thank you!
I made this last night, with some slight alterations because I didn’t have quite the same ingredients. I used half and half instead of condensed milk, some garlic in place of onions. But it came out pretty damn good! Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
This was dinner tonight….it is amazing!!! Thank You for sharing!!! As we always say when we Really like a recipe…THIS ONE IS A KEEPER!!!
[…] Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake […]
I really want to make this but ranch dressing isn’t sold in my country! And it seems too much effort to make from scratch and I’d need to buy new condiments and ingredients which I don’t have space for. Is there any way I can make this without ranch dressing? Can you recommend a substitute?
Yes, you could leave the ranch out of this. It will just change the taste slightly. I would also not drain your can of tomatoes since you are not adding the dressing. I hope you enjoy it!
My family loved this! It is going into the dinner rotation. Thanks!
would love to make it but the hubby cant eat tomatos so that counts me out
Hi, Mel. You could leave the tomatoes out and substitute something else if you like.
Hi may I use mostacholli
Yes, you can use whatever your favorite pasta shape is. I hope you enjoy the dinner!
Comfort food at its best – I can’t wait to try it out!
Was delicious but I didn’t see anywhere where it said to drain the can of tomatoes so my pasta ended up slightly runny (so drain your tomatoes!!!). Other than that, my husband and I loved it!!!
I actually do not drain my tomatoes when I make this pasta. I’m glad you guys liked it even if yours was slightly runny.
We love this. Do you think it would do well as a freezer meal?
I think it would be ok to freeze it. I would make it and put everything in a freezer pan, top with cheese, and freeze. Then thaw overnight in the refrigerator and remove from the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Because it will be cold, you will probably have to bake it longer than 20 minutes…just heat it until it is bubbly on the sides, then broil the top.
I’ve written this same thing on another site about the annoying Adchoice ad in the middle of the print recipe. Is there anywhere else it can be placed other then the middle of a printed recipe ??
I love your site & recipes but it’s a P.I.T.A. to try & edit !
Thank you for the simple well laid out instructions. I’m a vegan and am (for lack of a better word) a complete noob when it comes to meat and cheese dishes. I’m making this one for my parents tonight (they love their meat and cheese) and my fingers are crossed but I’m thinking I hit the nail on the head with this one. Thanks so much. P.S Lovely casserole dish.
Made this tonight for my family. Even my fussy Dad like it. Thumbs up for this recipe. Thank you
Can I substitute something else for the spinach? My husband refuses to eat anything green! He does not know what he’s missing!
You could leave it out since he doesn’t like it, and it would still be just fine. I hope you guys like this dinner!!!
i made this for my family and its now become my hubby s favourite!! loved it . thanks
I am so glad to hear that your family loved this cheesy pasta. It’s one of our favorites too, so it makes me happy that others are enjoying it!!!
Yum! My family is going to love this! Thanks for sharing.
You can’t go wrong with chicken, bacon, & ranch!! My family loves this! Love the taste & how cheesy it is!
Well I just found my new favorite dinner!
Oh yes! I am making this ASAP! Sounds so delicious!
My kids loved this cheesy chicken and pasta dish, and I loved how EASY it is to make!
This looks delicious. Cannot wait to fix this for my family. This is just a suggestion; You could use a Rotisserie Chicken, & Real Bacon Bits If you are in a pinch. Just my opinion.Thanks so much for the wonderful recipes. Have a wonderful and blessed day.
I would make it and put everything in a freezer pan, top with cheese, and freeze. Then thaw overnight in the refrigerator and remove from the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Because it will be cold, you will probably have to bake it longer than 20 minutes
What kind of onion should be used? The recipe says red, but the video shows otherwise.?
You can honestly use whatever onion you like. I have used red and white and couldn’t taste a difference.