Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Casserole
My family raves about this casserole! It’s truly the ultimate comfort food!
Servings: 8
Ingredients
ALFREDO SAUCE:
- 4 T. unsalted butter
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 c. heavy cream
- 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
BACON & RANCH CHICKEN:
- 8 slices bacon cooked and diced
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 T. olive oil
- 1 (1 oz.) envelope ranch salad dressing mix
PASTA & CHEESE:
- 1 lb. rotini pasta
- 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 T. chopped parsley leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish; set aside.
- ALFREDO SAUCE: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in heavy cream, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more heavy cream as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste; set aside.
- BACON: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Drain excess fat; reserving 1 tablespoon in the skillet. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- CHICKEN: In a gallon-size Ziploc bag, add chicken, 2 tablespoon olive oil, and ranch dressing mix shaking to coat thoroughly. Add chicken to the skillet and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes on each side; set aside.
- PASTA: Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- TO ASSEMBLE: Add half the pasta to the prepared baking dish and layer with half the chicken and half the alfredo sauce; sprinkle with half of the cheeses and bacon. Repeat layers one more time. Place into oven and bake until bubbly and heated through, about 15-20 minutes.
- Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.