Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon

This Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon is a family AND reader favourite (and it makes great leftovers too!). Not a lot can beat a lovely cheesy pasta bake served up with a big side of salad or garlic bread!

Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon is one of those dinners that the kids can polish off in no time – regardless of how many veggies I sneak in there. Peppers, onions, tomatoes, spinach – it all gets thrown in.

Ingredients

For this cheesy chicken pasta bake we need:

Sometimes I’ll add courgette or kale. If I’m being extra sneaky I might add some finely chopped mushroom too (I’m the only mushroom lover in our house – but they all eat mushrooms if they can’t identify them hee hee hee!).

Type of pasta to use for pasta bake:

I love to use rigatoni for this pasta bake, but you can use most pasta shapes. Spiralli (pasta spirals), Penne (tubes cut on the diagonal), Fusilli (pasta twists) and Farfalle (pasta bows) all work particularly well, with no change in amounts or cooking times.

I sometimes wonder if I could eat pasta every day of the week and not get bored of it.

Let’s see…

Oh yeah, that was easy – I didn’t even start on the pulled pork ragu or the or the penne arrabiata!! Oh and don’t forget to check out my new Creamy Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake too!

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How to make this chicken pasta bake

***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***

1. Start off by frying the chicken, veggies and seasoning in a large frying pan (skillet), whilst par-cooking the pasta.
2. Add in the tinned tomatoes and cream in to make the sauce.
3. Combine the par-cooked pasta along with spinach and chopped up cooked bacon.
4. Transfer it all to a large baking dish.
5. Top with cheese and bake in the oven until golden.

Do you have a favourite pasta dish? I’d love some new ideas for my pasta addiction 🙂

Watch how to make it

Here’s my full video. where I show you step by step how to make this delicious chicken pasta bake.

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🍽️ What to serve it with

This is a great, complete dinner by itself but you could also serve it with:

I like it cold for lunch the next day too – although you can heat it up in the microwave with a tablespoon of water – to stop it drying out.

If you like this chicken and bacon pasta bake then I know you’ll LOVE these too:

Equipment

In order to make this super tasty Cheesy Pasta Bake with Chicken and Bacon you will need:

If you’ve tried my pasta bake recipe then please rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing your thoughts and add-ons to my recipes!

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• Preheat the oven to 190C/375F (fan).

• Boil a large pan of water and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than recommended on the pack. Drain.

  400 g (4 1/2 cups) dried pasta shapes

• Whilst the pasta is cooking, heat the oil on a medium heat, in a large frying pan. Add the chicken, and cook until just sealed – about 5 minutes.

  1 tbsp oil, 3 large chicken breasts

• Add the onion and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until the onion is softened.

  1 large onion

• Add the chopped peppers, salt, pepper, garlic, tomato puree, oregano and thyme. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.

  1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp tomato puree, ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp pepper

• Stir in the tinned tomatoes and cream, bring to a gentle bubble, then add the pasta, spinach and cooked bacon. Stir everything together, then transfer to a large baking dish.

  2 x 400g (2 x 14oz) tins of finely chopped tomatoes, 120 ml (1/2 cup) double (heavy) cream, 100 g (3 packed cups) fresh baby spinach, 6 rashers cooked bacon

• Top with the cheddar and mozzarella, and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.

  100 g (1 cup) grated strong cheddar cheese, 100 g (1 cup) grated mozzarella

• Take out of the oven and top with parsley before serving.

  small bunch parsley

Can I make pasta bake ahead?
Yes! You can make ahead up to the point you sprinkle the cheese on, then cool, cover with foil and refrigerate for up to a day
Take out of the fridge for an hour before cooking it, to take the chill off the dish (otherwise you might find you get a cold spot in the middle when baking it).
Keep the foil on and heat in the oven at 190C/375F for about 10 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to heat for a further 15 minutes, until hot throughout.
Note: the dish will be a little less saucy if you make it ahead, as the pasta will absorb more of the liquid. You can a few tablespoons of stock or hot water before heating the pasta to ensure it’s still saucy if you like.
Can I freeze the leftovers from my pasta bake?
Yes, once cooked:
Cool quickly, cover and freeze.
Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then remove from the fridge an hour before cooking to take the chill off the dish (otherwise you might find you get a cold spot in the middle when baking it).
Reheat in the oven (covered in foil) at 190C/375F for about 20-25 minutes until hot throughout.
Add a few tablespoons of stock or hot water when reheating the pasta to ensure it’s still saucy.
What’s the best type of pasta for a chicken pasta bake?
I love to use rigatoni for this pasta bake, but you can use most pasta shapes. 
Spiralli (pasta spirals), Penne (tubes cut on the diagonal), Fusilli (pasta twists) and Farfalle (pasta bows) all work particularly well, with no change in amounts or cooking times.

Vegetarian version:

Replace the chicken with chunky pieces of courgette (zucchini) or mushroom. You can leave the bacon out entirely, or replace it with vegetarian chorizo or smoky chickpeas (chickpeas fried with smoked paprika, cumin, salt and pepper). 
Also, ensure the cheddar and mozzarella are vegetarian versions.

Gluten free version:

This recipe works well as a gluten-free dish with a few changes. Swap out the pasta for gluten-free pasta and ensure your tomato paste is gluten free.
Also, if you’re using ready grated (shredded) cheese, ensure it’s gluten free, as it can sometimes be tossed in a little flour to prevent it from sticking.
 
Nutritional Information is per serving.

Calories: 657kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 637mg | Potassium: 911mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 3040IU | Vitamin C: 82.3mg | Calcium: 300mg | Iron: 3.5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

This chicken pasta bake recipe was first published in January 2017. Updated in February 2025 with extra information, additional images and for housekeeping reasons.

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