Easy Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake

creamy yellow pasta and bacon pieces in a white baking dish

Easy Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake - leftover chicken, smoky bacon and pasta coated in a simple 2 ingredient cheese sauce

Course Main, Main Course

Cuisine Australian, Modern Australian

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 687kcal

Author Lee-Ann Grace

Ingredients

2 cups leftover shredded chicken about 200g
250 g dried macaroni pasta (see notes)
pinch of fine salt very small pinch!
4 rashers smoked bacon roughly chopped
2 large garlic cloves crushed
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
300 ml pure cream
2 teaspoon butter
⅔ cup fresh parmesan cheese grated (50g)
⅓ cup shredded mozzarella not fresh (40g)

Instructions

Pre heat oven to 180c ff / 355 f
Cook pasta according to packet directions (I only add a very small pinch of salt to the water) minus 1 min, then drain & return to pot, adding 2 teaspoon of butter and stirring lightly to coat
While pasta is cooking, place bacon in a small non-stick fry pan/skillet and fry for 6-8 mins, then add garlic and rosemary to pan & continue to fry for 1 min then remove pan from heat
Add bacon mixture to cooked pasta & stir lightly to mix, then add cream & shredded parmesan to pasta, mixing to coat, then add chicken & mix again until incorporated
Tip chicken and pasta mixture into an a baking dish, top with shredded mozzarella and bake uncovered for about 20 mins, or until peaks are lightly browned, then serve immediately

Notes

**15/07/2018 Correction to amount of cream in recipe - should be 300ml.

The baking dish I use for this recipe is 20cm x 30cm x 5cm (7.5" x 12" x 2")

About the pasta I have chosen, I have made this dish made with ziti (or penne) pasta. I have also made it with shells, and quite frankly they taste the same of course because it's all still pasta.

The reason I only add a very small pinch of salt to the pasta water is because the bacon itself can be salty - and we all know that once you have too much salt it's hard to fix! I found that this was enough salt for me. If you think you would like to add more, I would give it a taste just before it goes into the baking dish then add it then if you would like.

*Please note that the amount of calories per serve is provided as a guide only, as ingredients and cooking methods can vary greatly*

Nutrition