Chicken and Bacon Pasta Casserole – 🥓🍅🧀 The BEST comfort food casserole recipe complete with tender pasta, seasoned chicken, crumbled bacon, onions, bell peppers, and TWO types of melted cheese! EASY to make and a guaranteed family FAVORITE! Bonus that you can prep it in advance and just bake it off when you’re ready. Makes a big batch and the leftovers keep and freeze great!
Table of Contents
- Easy Chicken Bacon Pasta Casserole Recipe
- more comfort food casserole recipes
- Ingredients in Chicken Pasta Casserole with Bacon
- How To Make Chicken Pasta Bake with Bacon
- what to serve with chicken and Bacon pasta
- Make Ahead and Storage
- Recipe FAQs
- Chicken and Bacon Pasta Casserole Recipe
- more easy pasta Skillet recipes
Easy Chicken Bacon Pasta Casserole Recipe
This easy casserole recipe is the definition of comfort food! I know you’re going to love this easy pasta recipe and here’s why.
- There are tender pieces of seasoned chicken and crispy crumbled bacon in every bite.
- Perfectly cooked pasta is tossed with onions, garlic, bell peppers, crushed tomatoes, and spinach for the perfect amount of texture and extra layers of flavor.
- I also add chicken broth + dry white wine (optional) to keep things moist and flavorful. Nothing worse than a dry pasta dish and this is anything but!
- The final touch comes in the form of two kinds of melted cheese! Namely, mozzarella and cheddar. No one can resist melted cheese!
- Loved by kids and adults alike, this family favorite is the perfect easy weeknight dinner for when you are craving something warm, cheesy, and comforting!
- Make-ahead friendly, too. There’s a section on that below if this is of interest. But if you want to get a headstart on your week or you’re making this for an event, you can prep it in advance if you know you won’t have much prep time on the day of. It also freezes very well!
more comfort food casserole recipes
Ingredients in Chicken Pasta Casserole with Bacon
- Dry pasta – Small shaped pasta including penne pasta, ziti, rigatoni, small shells, elbow macaroni.
- Bacon – For the best flavor, fatty cuts of bacon are ideal because the grease is then used to sauté the chicken in, which adds more flavor to the casserole. However, use your favorite type of bacon (turkey bacon is fine) and if you want to omit the bacon, that’s fine. Use sufficient olive oil to cook the chicken if you didn’t use bacon or used very lean bacon.
- Chicken – I prefer boneless skinless chicken breasts but you can use chicken thighs if you prefer. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Olive oil
- Onion – Yellow onion is what I use but a white onion is fine.
- Garlic cloves – May sub with minced garlic from a jar or even garlic powder.
- Italian seasoning
- Red pepper flakes – Optional but add flavor, not true “heat” (unless you use much more).
- Bell pepper – Red bell peppers are what I use but any color is fine.
- Canned crushed tomatoes + tomato paste – If you don’t keep tomato paste on hand, it’s ok to omit it. I use it to intensify the tomato flavor.
- Liquids – A mixture of chicken broth (or chicken stock), and optional dry white wine add moisture and flavor.
- Fresh spinach – I use baby spinach. I do not recommend frozen spinach here because all those green flecks just detract from the visual appeal of the casserole.
- Cheese – A combination of shredded mozzarella cheese for melting and gooey cheese pulls while shredded cheddar cheese add sharper flavor. Parmesan cheese is also a great option.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How To Make Chicken Pasta Bake with Bacon
- Pasta: Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish, preheat your oven, and cook the pasta as directed for al dente or even a bit less. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.
- Bacon and chicken: While the pasta boils, in a separate large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crispy, then crumble it. Save the bacon grease to cook the chicken in. Cook the chicken for about 5-7 minutes and when it’s done, remove it to a plate.
- Vegetables: Add olive oil as needed, saute the onion and bell peppers for about 5 mins, and add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes in the final minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and simmer for a minute.
- Liquids: Add chicken broth, optional wine (or just use extra broth), and allow the mixture to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Incorporate and Bake: Add the bacon, chicken, spinach, pasta, and stir to incorporate. Transfer to the baking dish, top with both cheese, and bake until golden and bubbly!
what to serve with chicken and Bacon pasta
Make Ahead and Storage
Make Ahead: You can cook the various ingredients and assemble the casserole to the point before baking it. Stop after you sprinkle the cheese, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and refrigerate for up to 24-36 hours. When you’re ready to bake it off, set it on your counter for 1 hour before you plan to bake it because a cold casserole dish will take much longer to bake than a room temperature one, and you risk burning the cheese before the center is warm.
In the Refrigerator: This recipe will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
In the Freezer: This recipe will keep airtight in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can also freeze an unbaked casserole however this is tricky unless you have a large enough freezer to accomodate a flat 9×13-inch pan. And then there’s the issue of wrapping it really well to prevent freezer burn.
To Reheat: I use my microwave for quickness and ease and reheat my leftovers for about 30 seconds on high, or as needed.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Simply add previously cooked chicken, such as from my Whole Roasted Chicken recipe, or use store bought rotisserie chicken. Shred or cube the chicken and add it at the end when you add the cooked bacon and spinach.
Yes, extra vegetables including sliced mushrooms, zucchini, or broccoli florets are good options because you can add them when you add the bell peppers and they’ll cook in approximately the same amount of time.
You can achieve a creamy chicken and bacon pasta casserole by stirring about 6 tablespoons cream cheese into the sauce right before you add the cooked chicken , bacon, and spinach. About 1/3 cup heavy cream could also work – although it will thin out the sauce more than using cream cheese would.
By mixing about 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs + 1 tbsp melted butter, sprinkle that on after you add the cheeses, it’ll help the top crisp up a bit.
I hadn’t got all ingredients needed, but made it with what I’d got. I used Rosè wine, and just Cheddar cheese. It turned out fine and will attempt it again. Not your fault at all. As I said, it was very nice. Have frozen leftovers for another day. Thank you.
what a great dish for my casserole pan! it looked so good in my pan!
Very very good! Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Thanks so much and glad you’re enjoying my recipes, Donna!