Chicken-Bacon-Ranch Pasta Bake

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Servings: 8
Yield: 8 servings

Description

This delicious and easy pasta bake with cooked and shredded chicken breast is full of bacon and ranch flavors--it's a treat for the whole family.

Ingredients

cooking spray
1 (16 ounce) package farfalle (bow tie) pasta
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cubed
2 tablespoons ranch dressing mix
2 cups milk
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese
8 slices cooked bacon, divided
2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1 cup shredded Cheddar Jack cheese

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2 Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook bow-tie pasta at a boil, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes.
3 Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and ranch mix; whisk until smooth. Slowly whisk in milk. Stir in Monterey Jack; cook until melted and sauce thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Crumble in 6 strips bacon; stir to combine.
4 Combine pasta and chicken together in a large bowl. Pour in sauce and mix until well combined; transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle on Cheddar Jack; crumble remaining 2 strips bacon on top.
5 Bake in the preheated oven until cheese melted, about 20 minutes.