Chicken & Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake
2x the delicious servings!
You’re going to prep this big-batch baby in a flash, then let the oven do the rest of the work. Penne pasta bubbles away in a velvety cream sauce along with crispy bacon and ranch-spiced chicken beneath a golden blanket of melty mozzarella. You’ll whip it out of the oven (with mitts of course!) and add a flourish of chopped chives, then it’s straight to the table to serve family style for an easy, filling, double-protein crowd pleaser that will win you all the heart eyes you could ever need! This recipe is double the typical servings, providing 4 servings and 8 servings for a 2 person and 4 person box respectively.
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
Ingredients
8 ounce
Broccoli Florets
¼ ounce
Chives
1 unit
Lemon
4 ounce
Bacon
10 ounce
Chopped Chicken Breast
1 tablespoon
Ranch Spice
1 teaspoon
Paprika
8 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains Milk)
4.5 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains Milk)
2 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
12 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains Wheat)
1.5 cup
Mozzarella Cheese
(Contains Milk)
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
Cooking Spray
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Instructions
• Adjust racks to top and middle positions and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Cut broccoli into bite-size pieces if necessary. Thinly slice chives. Quarter lemon.
• Place bacon* on a baking sheet. Roast on top rack until bacon is crispy, 10-15 minutes. • Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop.
• Open package of chicken* and drain off any excess liquid. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces if necessary. • Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer. Season with half the Garden Ranch Spice, half the paprika, salt, and pepper. (You’ll use the rest of the Garden Ranch Spice and paprika in Step 5.) Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. Set aside.
• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes (you’ll add more to the pot then). • Once pasta has cooked for 5 minutes, add broccoli to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente and broccoli is bright green, 3-5 minutes more. Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water (1 cup for 8 servings), then drain.
• In a large bowl, whisk together cream sauce base, sour cream, garlic powder, remaining Garden Ranch Spice, remaining paprika, two packets of mozzarella, ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water, salt, and pepper. (For 8 servings, use four packets of mozzarella and ½ cup pasta cooking water.) • Add drained pasta and broccoli, chicken, and chopped bacon to bowl; stir until well combined. TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.
• Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish (two 9-by-13-inch baking dishes for 8 servings) with nonstick cooking spray. • Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish (for 8, divide between prepared baking dishes). Top with remaining mozzarella. • Cover pasta bake tightly with foil; place on a second baking sheet. Bake on middle rack until bubbly, 20-30 minutes. (For 8, bake on two clean baking sheets on top and middle racks, swapping rack positions halfway through.) TIP: Careful when lifting the foil to check on the pasta bake—steam may escape!
• Let pasta bake rest at least 5 minutes. When ready to serve, stir to evenly combine. Garnish pasta bake with chives. • Divide between plates or serve family style directly from baking dish, with lemon wedges on the side.
Bacon is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 145°.
Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
