This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake is an easy and delicious dinner for those busy week nights. You can have a hot dinner that everyone will enjoy in under 40 minutes.
Pasta has consistently been my record-breaking most loved dinner decision. For quite a long time it has been my go to decision when we go out to eat.Lately however I have gotten bolder and have begun to arrange various things when we eat out.I’m discovering new solid things that I appreciate eating, so I have been fusing them into things like these Parmesan Garlic Shrimp Zucchini Noodles and these Chicken Caprese Cauliflower Nachos. However, pasta will consistently hold that main spot in my life.
Quite a while back our children had a pinewood vehicle competition to go to that was a couple of hours from our home. We started off right on time and made a beeline for the race realizing that we would need to leave when the race was throughout to get back on schedule for an evening soccer game.It made for a bustling Saturday. That implied that a refueling break for lunch in a hurry was inescapable.
We halted in one of the towns in transit home where we could get Subway for us and McDonald’s for the youngsters. One of the advantages to having a more seasoned youngster is that he can accompany the more youthful ones to McDonald’s, while we go to Subway for a solid (alright, fairly sound) sandwich.Killing two birds with one stone so we could get back out and about once more. Gotta love that!
My significant other and I split the chicken bacon farm sandwich. As we were driving and eating, I could quit considering how those flavors would make a wonderful pasta dinner.This simple and messy pasta supper can be on your supper table in less than 40 minutes.
this Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake is an easy and delicious dinner for those busy week nights. You can have a hot dinner that everyone will enjoy in under 40 minutes.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped green peppers
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 – 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup chopped, cooked bacon
- 1 cup chopped spinach leaves
- 1 – 12 ounce can evaporated milk
- 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella or pepper jack cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8×8 or 10×10 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente pasta. Drain and pour back into saucepan. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and toss. Cover and set aside.
- Saute the onions and peppers in 1 Tablespoon oil for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the garlic, tomatoes, chicken, bacon, and spinach to the pan. Saute until the spinach leaves start to wilt. Cover and set aside.
- Heat the milk and 2 cups mozzarella or pepper jack cheese in a saucepan until the cheese melts and becomes creamy.
- Stir in the ranch, noodles, and chicken mixture until everything is coated.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining mozzarella or pepper jack cheese and cheddar cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Broil an additional 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese, if desired. Keep a close eye on it while broiling. Serve hot.
Notes
*This dish has a slightly spicy taste to it if you use pepper jack cheese.
