2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pound bacon, chopped
1 bag fresh spinach, 284g - 10 oz.
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
For the pasta:
1 500 g package dried pasta
16 cups water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
For the sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
⅓ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 cups whole milk
1 cup Gruyère, Emmental or Swiss cheese
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the topping:
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Takes ,
serves 8.
Instructions
Prepare pasta: Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt to a large pot containing 16 cups of water and and bring to a boil. Add pasta, stir and cook until still firm to the bite, about 9 minutes. Drain and transfer pasta to large mixing bowl.
Cook meats: Heat large skillet over moderate heat. Add bacon. Stir as it cooks, rendering the fat. Remove bacon from pan, transferring it to bowl with pasta. Immediately add chicken to the pan. Brown chicken then remove from skillet, adding it to the bowl with the pasta and bacon. Drain fat away from skillet, wipe pan and return it to stovetop.
Add the fresh spinach and diced red peppers to the bowl with the pasta and meat.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Prepare sauce: Drop butter into skillet over moderate heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have browned and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the pan with flour, stirring it in with the onion and mushrooms, and cook for 1 minute more. Add the chicken stock, stirring as the sauce thickens, followed by the milk. Once the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat, add the cheese and stir to melt. Taste then season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the pasta, meats and veggies and stir or toss to combine.
Transfer the pasta mixture to prepared baking dish.
Prepare the topping: Melt butter in small skillet over moderate heat. Add panko then sprinkle with garlic powder. Stir or toss in pan and cook until panko is lightly browned. Transfer panko to bowl with Parmesan and toss to combine. Sprinkle casserole dish with topping.
Transfer to oven and bake until bubbly and golden, about 30 minutes. NOTE: you can also broil for 1 final minute for a crispier finish.
Baked Chicken Pasta Casserole
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pound bacon, chopped
1 bag fresh spinach, 284g - 10 oz.
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
For the pasta:
1 500 g package dried pasta
16 cups water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
For the sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
⅓ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 cups whole milk
1 cup Gruyère, Emmental or Swiss cheese
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the topping:
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
Prepare pasta: Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt to a large pot containing 16 cups of water and and bring to a boil. Add pasta, stir and cook until still firm to the bite, about 9 minutes. Drain and transfer pasta to large mixing bowl.
Cook meats: Heat large skillet over moderate heat. Add bacon. Stir as it cooks, rendering the fat. Remove bacon from pan, transferring it to bowl with pasta. Immediately add chicken to the pan. Brown chicken then remove from skillet, adding it to the bowl with the pasta and bacon. Drain fat away from skillet, wipe pan and return it to stovetop.
Add the fresh spinach and diced red peppers to the bowl with the pasta and meat.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Prepare sauce: Drop butter into skillet over moderate heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have browned and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the pan with flour, stirring it in with the onion and mushrooms, and cook for 1 minute more. Add the chicken stock, stirring as the sauce thickens, followed by the milk. Once the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat, add the cheese and stir to melt. Taste then season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the pasta, meats and veggies and stir or toss to combine.
Transfer the pasta mixture to prepared baking dish.
Prepare the topping: Melt butter in small skillet over moderate heat. Add panko then sprinkle with garlic powder. Stir or toss in pan and cook until panko is lightly browned. Transfer panko to bowl with Parmesan and toss to combine. Sprinkle casserole dish with topping.
Transfer to oven and bake until bubbly and golden, about 30 minutes. NOTE: you can also broil for 1 final minute for a crispier finish.
Baked Chicken Pasta Casserole
5 / 5. 1
A creamy baked pasta dish made with with chicken, bacon, spinach, red pepper, two cheeses and a crispy topping…
You asked for an easy dinner idea and this BAKED CHICKEN PASTA CASSEROLE is it!
Whether you’re looking for solid midweek dinner idea for your family or an easy weekend main course idea that’ll feed a crowd, this recipe works. Here are the easy steps to make BAKED CHICKEN PASTA CASSEROLE:
Cook off a pot of a favourite short-noodle pasta.
Sauté tender chicken morsels and smoky bacon. The dish gets lots of flavour from the pairing of bacon and chicken with red pepper and spinach.
Stir or whisk up a cheesy, creamy sauce flavoured with mushrooms and onion.
Stir everything together in a big bowl before spilling it into a casserole dish and topping it with a mix of Parmesan cheese and toasted panko crumbs.
Now, how to serve this delicious baked casserole dish. Simply present it to your family and friends with a favourite simple salad and a favourite beverage, pinot grigio or chardonnay suggested. Get ready for happy diners and lots of compliments.
Here are a few additional tips on how to make this BAKED CHICKEN PASTA CASSEROLE:
PASTA
As mentioned, we crafted this recipe using short-noodle pasta. Now, that’s not to say it won’t work if you make it using fettuccine, linguine or spaghetti, we just found short-noodle varieties are easier to both serve and eat. Try the recipe using fusilli, penne pasta, macaroni, radiatore, farfalle or another smaller, interestingly shaped variety. Then, just follow the directions down below to boil and cook the pasta al dente or follow package directions.
MEATS AND VEGETABLES
We promise the four ingredients in the above pic take the flavour of this easy chicken casserole from simple to amazing. We suggest using organic, free-range chicken thighs or breasts for the recipe, sautéing them up until just cooked through. Then sauté a flavourful smoked bacon so that most of the fat melts away leaving the bacon slightly crispy. Adding fresh baby spinach and a diced sweet red bell pepper gives the dish a pop of colour. This quartet of meats and veggies give this pasta recipe lots of flavour.
CREAM SAUCE
One of the hallmarks of this pasta casserole recipe is the memorable creamy sauce that envelops the pasta, vegetables and sautéed meat. The sauce itself is similar to the MORNAY SAUCE we created for our CROQUE MONSIEUR and TURKEY HOT BROWN SANDWICHES.
For this creamy cheese sauce we added tangy Dijon mustard, sautéed mushrooms and finely diced onions. These ingredients enhance the taste of this cream sauce from its base of flour, chicken broth or stock and Gruyère cheese. The Gruyère adds a pleasing nuttiness to the sauce that we know you’ll love, but by all means, feel free to try the recipe with a different cheese if you’d like. Aged, sharp cheddar cheese, Parmesan, feta, mozzarella cheese and Monterey Jack will all work perfectly. Don’t forget to season the sauce with salt and pepper after adding the cheese.
ASSEMBLE
Pulling this pasta casserole together follows the same methodology we used for our CLASSIC TUNA CASSEROLE with peas and this TOMATO CHICKEN PASTA BAKE. Spoiler alert: all of the components get stirred up in a big bowl. LOL! Told you it was easy!
That said, we do have a few additional instructions. First, add the pasta into the bowl immediately after you drain it. When adding the bacon, we suggest straining it out of the skillet with a slotted spoon, leaving most of the bacon grease behind to cook the chicken. Next, after sautéing that chicken, again, strain it away from any of the grease or cooking juices from the skillet or pan.
Final step before the big stir-up is to add the spinach, diced peppers, and then the hot cream sauce. The entire process is simple and leads to a whole dish of deliciousness.
CASSEROLE DISH
We crafted this recipe using a 9 x 13-inch glass casserole dish. Grease the baking dish with butter before adding the mixture of pasta, meats, veggies and sauce. We love this way of baking off pasta and also appreciate that you can serve all your hungry peeps straight from the dish.
CRUMB TOPPING
We tested a crushed potato chip topping for this pasta bake, but ended up going with something a bit more substantial in texture. Prepare to be amazed by the crispiness of panko bread crumbs flavoured with Parmesan and garlic.
The first step in the topping portion of the program is to brown the panko and garlic powder in a skillet heated with melted butter. Yes, it’s an extra step, but browning the crumbs first ensures they stay crisp and crunchy during the bake.
We take full responsibility for the cheesiness of the next step, when we toss those toasted crumbs with Parmesan. Adding another layer of cheese into this recipe really works.
The last thing is to sprinkle the panko topping onto the casserole dish right before it goes into the oven. Again, something very tasty is on the way.
OVEN BAKE
The casserole only needs about 30 minutes cooking time in the oven to get bubbly and golden. If you’re assembling the casserole in advance and baking it chilled, straight from the refrigerator, cook for 45 minutes total time to ensure it’s heated through. NOTE: you can also broil for the final minute for a crispier finish.
SERVE
Serving this BAKED CHICKEN PASTA CASSEROLE could not be easier. Let the dish sit for about five minutes before serving a dollop or two of the pasta into a pasta bowl or luncheon plate. Feel free to garnish with a sprinkle of black pepper and a favourite chopped herb like fresh parsley or oregano. If you’ve got the gumption, serve a salad on the side. In the off-chance you’re left with leftovers, store portions in airtight containers and enjoy either cold or reheated.
This wonderful homemade meal idea is so tasty, we suggest you PIN it to a favourite pasta, dinner or weeknight meal idea board on PINTEREST or BOOKMARK this tab for easy access. SHARE it with friends so they can make it too. We’d also appreciate seeing pics of all the delicious dishes you’re making these days. Use #weekendatthecottage when you post those pics on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks!
This one pasta bake has it all. Try our BAKED CHICKEN PASTA CASSEROLE soon!
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Ingredients
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pound bacon, chopped
1 bag fresh spinach, 284g - 10 oz.
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
For the pasta:
1 500 g package dried pasta
16 cups water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
For the sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
⅓ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 cups whole milk
1 cup Gruyère, Emmental or Swiss cheese
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the topping:
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
Prepare pasta: Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt to a large pot containing 16 cups of water and and bring to a boil. Add pasta, stir and cook until still firm to the bite, about 9 minutes. Drain and transfer pasta to large mixing bowl.
Cook meats: Heat large skillet over moderate heat. Add bacon. Stir as it cooks, rendering the fat. Remove bacon from pan, transferring it to bowl with pasta. Immediately add chicken to the pan. Brown chicken then remove from skillet, adding it to the bowl with the pasta and bacon. Drain fat away from skillet, wipe pan and return it to stovetop.
Add the fresh spinach and diced red peppers to the bowl with the pasta and meat.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Prepare sauce: Drop butter into skillet over moderate heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have browned and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the pan with flour, stirring it in with the onion and mushrooms, and cook for 1 minute more. Add the chicken stock, stirring as the sauce thickens, followed by the milk. Once the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat, add the cheese and stir to melt. Taste then season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the pasta, meats and veggies and stir or toss to combine.
Transfer the pasta mixture to prepared baking dish.
Prepare the topping: Melt butter in small skillet over moderate heat. Add panko then sprinkle with garlic powder. Stir or toss in pan and cook until panko is lightly browned. Transfer panko to bowl with Parmesan and toss to combine. Sprinkle casserole dish with topping.
Transfer to oven and bake until bubbly and golden, about 30 minutes. NOTE: you can also broil for 1 final minute for a crispier finish.
