This tasty, easy chicken and bacon pasta bake is the perfect dish for quick and easy family dinners. With bacon, chicken, and vegetables, it's a filling and hearty meal with beautiful colors and flavors.
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Pasta bakes, or pasta baked casseroles, always go down a treat at my house. In principle, it's just a pasta based dish that's topped with cheese and baked in the oven until it's all warm and cheesy and toasty and delicious.
In this recipe we combine crispy vegetables with tender chicken, bacon and plenty of fantastic seasoning. It's a healthy and wholesome dish, perfect to serve as a weeknight dinner.
If you like a good pasta bake, you will probably also enjoy my minced beef pasta bake or eggplant and mozzarella pasta bake.
Ingredients
Chicken: I use chicken breast fillets, but boneness skinless chicken thighs can work too.
Bacon: Use your favorite bacon.
Onion, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, thyme: These add flavor to the pasta bake. Don't hesitate to substitute the herbs with others you like, such as Italian Seasoning, parsley or rosemary.
Zucchini and red pepper: Your main vegetables! These are fantastic in a pasta bake, but you can of course substitute these with other veg if you prefer.
Pasta: I use fusilli, but you can use any short pasta types, such as macaroni or penne.
Cheese: Use a combination of feta, cheddar and parmesan.
Tomato sauce: Tomato sauce (UK: tomato passata) makes the foundation of the pasta bake sauce. Can also be substituted with canned diced tomatoes.
Instructions
Start by preparing your ingredients. Finely dice the onions and bacon. Grate or finely chop the garlic. Dice the peppers, zucchini and chicken. Then, shred the cheddar and parmesan, and crumble the feta cheese.
Heat up the oil in a skillet or frying pan on medium to high heat. Add diced onions and bacon, and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Add finely chopped garlic, and sauté for another minute.
Meanwhile, boil the pasta in water according to package instructions.
Add the onion and bacon and drained cooked pasta to a casserole dish along with diced peppers and zucchini.
Pan sear diced chicken until it's browned all over and almost cooked through, and add to the casserole dish. Add the tomato sauce, seasoning and half of the cheese, then stir to combine all the ingredients.
Cover the pasta with the remaining cheese, and bake in the oven at 360 °F / 180 °C for about 25 minutes, or until the ingredients have warmed through and the cheese has melted and turned golden.
Top tips
- Use your favorite seasoning and vegetables to add your own little twist on the dish.
- As the ingredients will continue to cook in the oven, I recommend boiling the pasta until it's al dente, or barely cooked. The chicken can be slightly undercooked when you place it in the oven.
- Don't skimp on the seasoning! It's a key part to making a truly delicious dish.
Serving suggestions
- Pear and Walnut Salad - A simple green side salad.
- Air Fryer Broccoli - Everything pairs well with a roasted vegetable, and this recipe is so easy!
- Tomato and Cucumber Salad - Refreshing and easy side salad that can lighten up any meal.
- Garlic bread, or a lovely piece or crusty bread.
Variations
Here are some of my favorite variations of the dish, if you want to change it up:
Vegetarian: You can make a veggie version by substituting the chicken and bacon with roasted tofu and cauliflower.
Dairy free: Replace the cheese with a vegan cheese alternative, or a dairy free cheese sauce to suit your dietary requirements.
Gluten free: Use gluten free pasta!
Extra veggies: Feel free to add any other vegetables to the dish. Broccoli, corn, mushrooms or carrots would suit perfectly with the other flavors in the chicken and bacon pasta bake.
Leftovers
Store leftover chicken and bacon pasta bake in airtight containers in a refrigerator for 2-3 days. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months.
This makes the dish perfect as a freezer meal for future dinners. I like to store the leftovers in portion sizes for quick and easy lunches or dinners.
Defrost and reheat the dish in a microwave or oven before serving it warm.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, but I recommend boiling the pasta first. Cooking the ingredients individually will allow you to make sure that everything is cooked just right.
Yes, absolutely. Any type of pasta can be used. Fusilli or penne are more commonly used as they are easy to eat in a casserole.
Any ingredient can be omitted, however this will of course change the taste and consistency of the dish. If you choose to omit the tomato sauce, I recommend using another sauce instead.
Recipe
Chicken and Bacon Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast fillets (350 g / 12 oz)
- 3 bacon rashers
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 cups dry fusilli (200 g)
- 1 zucchini (courgette)
- 1 red pepper
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 80 g feta
- 120 g cheddar
- 10 g parmesan
Instructions
- Start by preparing your ingredients. Finely dice the onions and bacon. Grate or finely chop the garlic. Dice the peppers, zucchini and chicken. Then, shred the cheddar and parmesan, and crumble the feta cheese.
- Heat up the oil in a skillet or frying pan on medium to high heat. Add diced onions and bacon, and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Add finely chopped garlic, and sauté for another minute.
- Meanwhile, boil the pasta in water according to package instructions.
- Add the onion and bacon and drained cooked pasta to a casserole dish along with diced peppers and zucchini.
- Pan sear diced chicken until it’s browned all over and almost cooked through, and add to the casserole dish. Add the tomato sauce, seasoning and half of the cheese, then stir to combine all the ingredients.
- Cover the pasta with the remaining cheese, and bake in the oven at 360 °F / 180 °C for about 25 minutes, or until the ingredients have warmed through and the cheese has melted and turned golden.
Video
Notes
- Use your favorite seasoning and vegetables to add your own little twist on the dish.
- As the ingredients will continue to cook in the oven, I recommend boiling the pasta until it’s al dente, or barely cooked. The chicken can be slightly undercooked when you place it in the oven.
- Don’t skimp on the seasoning! It’s a key part to making a truly delicious dish.
- Store leftover chicken and bacon pasta bake in airtight containers in a refrigerator for 2-3 days. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months.
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