Chicken and Bacon Pasta Bake

Creamy chicken and bacon pasta bake with cheese and sour cream, this pasta bake has the potential to become a family favorite.

Chicken and bacon pasta bake made with three ingredients that everybody loves! Mix them together, bake them shortly, and you will have a super simple yet super delicious meal that is bound to make your children happy!

Pasta dishes are usually quick and easy to make, and when it comes to taste and family food-related happiness, I can never go wrong with anything containing pasta.

Try more pasta bakes: Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake, Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake, Chicken Asparagus Pasta Bake, or Bolognese Pasta Bake.

Recipe ingredients

One of the best things about this chicken and bacon pasta dish is that it uses many ingredients that you probably already have in the house (pasta, bacon, canned mushrooms). It is also a good recipe for using leftover chicken.

• Chicken: As mentioned above, you will need cooked chicken; I always make this chicken and bacon pasta bake when I have leftover chicken, either from making chicken soup with dumplings or from making whole roast chicken.
  • You can also use rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey.
• Bacon: I used slightly smoked, very lean bacon cubes, but you can use regular bacon slices instead, whatever you have.
• Pasta: I used elbow macaroni, but any kind of short-shaped pasta will be fine.
• Mushrooms: I had a jar of mushrooms lying around in the pantry, so I drained the mushrooms and added them to the pasta mixture.
  • Fresh mushrooms are great, too.
• Dairy: Sour cream and cheese. Gouda cheese is always my first choice, but cheddar is just as delicious.

How to make bacon and chicken pasta bake?

• Step #1: Cook and drain the pasta, then return it to the pot, where you will mix all the ingredients later.
• Step #2: Cook the bacon. Pat it with a kitchen towel to remove the excess fat, if necessary.
• Step #3: If using fresh mushrooms, clean them with kitchen paper, slice them thinly, and fry them in the pan you used for frying the bacon for about 3-4 minutes until the water they release evaporates and they are golden. If using mushrooms from a jar, let them drain well.
• Step #4: Add chopped chicken, bacon, and mushrooms to the pasta in the pot. Add the spices, sour cream, and ¾ of the grated cheese. Mix well and adjust the taste with salt and pepper, if necessary.
• Step #5: Place the chicken and bacon pasta in a casserole dish and sprinkle the dish with the remaining grated cheese
• Step #6 Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the top of the chicken and bacon pasta bake is golden brown.

Chicken and Bacon Pasta Bake

Creamy chicken and bacon pasta bake with cheese and sour cream, this pasta bake has the potential to become a family favorite.

4.50 from 10 votes

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Course: Pasta and Rice

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 590kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

• ▢
  Casserole dish 7.5x9 inches/19x23 cm

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 9 oz elbow macaroni or other short-cut pasta, 250 g
• ▢ 2.5 oz bacon either already cubed or regular slices, 75 g
• ▢ 1 can/jar of mushrooms or 7 oz/ 200 g fresh mushrooms, Note 1
• ▢ 2 cups cooked and cubed chicken 9 oz/ 250 g, Note 2
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sweet paprika powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 cup sour cream 250 g
• ▢ 1¼ cups grated cheese 125 g, Note 3
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons chopped chives

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 360°F/ 180°C.
• Cook the pasta according to the packet's instructions. Drain and return to the pot.

  9 oz elbow macaroni /250 g
• Cook the bacon in a frying pan, drain it on paper towels, and chop or crumble it.

  2.5 oz bacon/ 75 g
• Mushrooms: If using fresh mushrooms, clean them with kitchen paper, slice them thinly, and fry them in the pan you used for frying the bacon for about 3-4 minutes, until the water they release evaporates and they are golden. You will not need to add fat if there is still some bacon fat in the pan.

  If using mushrooms from a jar, let them drain well.

  1 can/jar of mushrooms OR 7 oz/ 200 g fresh mushrooms
• Chop the cooked chicken.

  2 cups cooked and cubed chicken/ 250 g
• Combine pasta bake: Add the crumbled or chopped bacon, chicken, and mushrooms to the pasta in the pot. Add salt, pepper, dried rosemary, sweet paprika powder, and garlic powder. Add the sour cream and ¾ of the grated cheese. Mix well and adjust the taste with salt and pepper, if necessary. Place everything into the baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

  ½ teaspoon dried rosemary + ½ teaspoon sweet paprika powder + ½ teaspoon garlic powder + 1 teaspoon fine sea salt + ½ teaspoon black pepper +1 cup sour cream/ 250 g + 1¼ cups grated cheese
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the top of the chicken and bacon pasta bake is golden brown. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

  1-2 tablespoons chopped chives

Notes

1. Mushrooms: Don't stress about the exact amount of mushrooms in the jar or can; use whatever you have; a little more or less will not matter, about 5.3-7 oz/150-200 g drained weight. If using fresh mushrooms about 200 g/ 7 oz fresh mushrooms are OK.
2. Use leftover chicken (or turkey) or use rotisserie chicken. If none is available, cook about the same amount of chicken breast and use that instead.
3. Cheese: Gouda, Cheddar, or any kind of cheese you like to use when making pasta bakes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the bake | Calories: 590kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 1114mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g

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