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Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

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5 from 1 review

This chicken bacon ranch casserole is the perfect comfort food! It combines the classic flavors of ranch seasoning with a creamy mac and cheese sauce, al dente noodles, shredded rotisserie chicken, and crispy bacon. It's all baked together for a cozy weeknight dinner your whole family will love!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 16 oz. pasta
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 1 ounce packet dry ranch seasoning mix
  • 32 ounces half and half
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 12 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
  • Kosher salt
  • fresh cracked pepper
  • thinly sliced chives, for garnish
  • thinly sliced green onion, for garnish
  • fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cook pasta according to package directions, just until al dente.
  3. Add butter to the large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute until fragrant. 
  4. Add flour and the packet of ranch seasoning mix and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute.
  5. Whisk in half and half until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes until it thickens. Don't let it come to a simmer or boil. 
  6. Stir in 1 cup cheddar cheese and all the Parmesan cheese until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  7. Add cooked pasta, most of the bacon (reserve some for topping), and shredded chicken. Toss to coat everything evenly. 
  8. Cook until everything is warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  9. Transfer to an oven-safe dish like this 9x13 white baking dish or this enameled cast iron pan and top pasta with remaining shredded cheddar cheese and bacon. Cover and bake for about 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the pasta is warmed through. 
  10. Garnish with thinly sliced chives, green onion, and parsley, and enjoy!
  11. If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating and review below!

Equipment

Notes

    • Salt your pasta water! This is the first chance you have to season the pasta and it makes a big difference in the overall flavor of the dish.

    • Cook the pasta al dente since you'll be baking it in the oven.

    • If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of half and half, milk, heavy cream, or broth.

    • If the sauce is too thin, cook it over medium-low heat for another minute or two and it will thicken right up.

    • Be mindful of salt as you're cooking. The ranch seasoning and Parmesan cheese both have a decent amount of sodium, so wait until you've melted the shredded cheese into the sauce before adding salt to taste. And then make sure you actually taste it! You can always add more salt but it's hard to balance the flavors if you've added too much.

    • Shred the cheese yourself so it melts better. The fastest way to shred cheese is with a food processor. Mine has a shredding attachment that allows me to shred a block of cheese in about 10 seconds!

Nutrition

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/chicken-bacon-ranch-casserole/