Enjoy this creamy, cheese-packed chicken Alfredo pasta bake with three kinds of cheese and plenty more to go around. There are tons of melty cheese strings in this fall casserole!
I don’t know about you, but I love a good Alfredo. It’s rich, it’s definitely not good for you, but it’s oh so yummy. And why shouldn’t we love it? It has all the goodness of butter, cream and Parmesan. Creamy. Cheesy. Yummy. So today we’re taking good old Alfredo sauce and making a chicken pasta bake. And we’ll add more cheese plus other stuff to make a great fall casserole.
So if you’re wanting cheese, I’ve got your back. This makes a HUGE serving to go around and it heats up well. It’ll make that wet squishy sound when you mix it all up, a sign of tons of creamy cheesy power. It’ll give you long strands of cheese when you dish a serving. The kind that you’ll want to run your finger along to break. And it’ll satisfy your cheese craving.
How To Make Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake (1 Min Video)
Ingredients in Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake
CHICKEN ALFREDO PASTA BAKE RECIPE TIPS
The great thing about this recipe is how you can customize it to save you time. I made the Alfredo sauce from scratch but you can also use store-bought sauce Alfredo sauce. I used some rotisserie chicken but if you’re not a fan, any kind of leftover or cooked chicken works just as well. You can grill, pan-fry or poach about 2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cube or shred them for the casserole.
You can also customize what kind of pasta you’re using. I used penne for this recipe but it works with all kinds of tube-type pasta like ziti, rigatoni, elbows, or other pasta shapes like shells, cavatappi, bowties, or fusilli.
One thing I did make sure to do was to cook the pasta until the point just before it turns al dente. Then I rinsed it under cold water to stop the cooking process. Because if it continues cooking in the cheese sauce in the oven, it’ll get slightly mushy.
I’m not a big fan of mushy pasta so I finish off the al dente process in the oven. Works for me. If you don’t mind or even like mushy stuff (and I’m not talking about romance), then keep on cooking that pasta until it’s al dente. The rest of you can join me in my anti-mush club.
Another thing I want to kind of throw in here is that there’s a lot of ricotta to go around, as you can see. So if you’re not big on it, you can halve the ricotta and egg portion before mixing it in with everything. Some people like it, and some people don’t. My preferred brand of ricotta is Galbani, so I’m a big fan.
The last time I made a casserole with tons of cheese was last year. My chicken, spinach and mushroom pasta bake are still rocking it. I was still using my iPhone back then to take pics and I didn’t have all the gadgets and gizmos I have now to take a good stringy cheese shot. So this year, I made up for it.
So really, if there’s just the two of you and you want leftovers that will reheat well for days, this recipe is perfect for you. Or if you’re a family of four and you want something for two days, here you go. And if you have a huge family, have at it. This can serve up to ten servings. The cheese is not stingy!
Enjoy and let me know how you liked it, what substitutions you made and what you paired it with in the comments below!
MORE ALFREDO RECIPES TO TRY
- Spinach and Artichoke Ravioli Bake
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Alfredo Pasta
- Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake
- Tortellini Alfredo Spinach Casserole
- Mushroom Alfredo
- Easy Alfredo Sauce
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Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 8–10 1x
Description
This creamy chicken Alfredo pasta bake is a comforting fall casserole with three kinds of cheese and lots of melty cheese strings.
Ingredients
- 16 oz. penne/ziti/rigatoni pasta
- 2 cups Alfredo sauce
- 8 oz. sour cream
- 3 cups cooked/rotisserie chicken, cubed
- 15 oz. ricotta cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Cook the pasta until just before al dente, about 2 minutes shy of the package directions. Drain and rinse pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- If you’re making Alfredo sauce from scratch, see notes.
- Mix cooked pasta with Alfredo sauce, sour cream and cooked chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine ricotta, garlic, eggs, Parmesan and parsley and mix well.
- Add the ricotta mixture to the pasta and stir to combine. Transfer everything to a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Top with a thick layer of mozzarella cheese and bake uncovered at 350°F for 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbly.
- Broil at 450°F for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown.
- Dish and serve hot.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Homemade Alfredo sauce (2 cups):
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt, or to taste (see note)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
Melt butter in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Slow stir in the heavy cream and bring to a gentle boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low and add grated Parmesan cheese in batches, stirring constantly until the cheese melts smoothly into the sauce. Season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Simmer gently until the sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 3-4 minutes. Do a taste test and adjust seasonings, if needed.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
Comments & Reviews
Is this something you can make a day before?
Yes, you can! I would cover and refrigerate the day before. Good luck, Sherrie!
Can you refrigerate casserole about 4 hours before baking?
Yes, you can but bring it to room temperature by letting it sit out on the counter for 30 minutes before baking. You may also need to add 10 minutes or so additional baking time to account for it being slightly chilled.
Love your recipes!
Thanks so much for supporting me! Enjoy the food and happy cooking 🙂
I also added fresh minced garlic 😋😋 sooooo good
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it and thanks for sharing, Shirley 🙂
Hi, making this for a friend and wanted to make one for my family and freeze it for after the holidays. Does it freeze well, thanks in advance.
I would not try and freeze it because ricotta doesn’t freeze well. The texture changes and the ricotta separates when frozen, so it will end up dry and crumbly. If you are okay with the texture change, you could give it a try but I will always recommend this casserole done fresh.
I’ve made this Alfredo probably more than I can count on my hands. It’s so good!
★★★★★
Well thank you for coming back and letting me know it’s a staple and much-loved. Thank you, Tia!
This was delicious!!!! YUM!!!Thank you for sharing.
You’re very welcome. Joni! I’m so happy you enjoyed it that much 🙂
I want to add broccoli, when would I do that? Cook first or place within, refrigerated? 🙂
It depends on how you like your broccoli. If you don’t mind it on the softer side, you can cook it with the pasta in the last 3-5 minutes then drain and mix with the rest of the pasta bake ingredients. If you like it a little firmer, you could try mixing it all together and let it cook while the pasta bakes in the oven for 30 minutes. I’m pretty sure it will cook fully this way too.
I am going to try this recipe. Question: After prepared and cooked, does this dish freeze well to prepare for a future event? Then thaw and reheat?
I personally have not frozen it, so I can’t say much from personal experience (since we don’t freeze much in this house). If you do decide to try it, please let us know so it can help folks with the same question!
Can this be made. Ahead of time and frozen
I personally haven’t done it, we don’t have much space in the freezer for gigantic casseroles. Maybe someone else has and can leave a comment in my stead. I’m leery of saying you can when I personally haven’t tested it yet.
I printed this recipe and will post it near the dish when I make it March 24, 2019 for our Italian Lunch at Western Prong Baptist Church! I can’t wait for everyone to try it!!! Thank you!
How did it go? I hope it was received well! Thank you for having faith in the recipe to bring it to a gathering 🙂
I made this last night after reaching out to you about the ricotta cheese. It was a HUGE it! I did use the Galbani ricotta and you are right, in this case brand matters. I’m so glad I didn’t omit. We had friends coming over and I wanted something easy (could prepare ahead by an hour and then just bake once they were here)…worked out perfectly and everyone had seconds and thirds. This will be a regular on the menu this fall. It’s too much for just my husband and I but perfect for having friends and family over. Thank you!!
★★★★★
I’m so glad I helped! I used to hate ricotta cheese and complained about it at my mom -and-pop Italian restaurant we frequented when I asked about the recipe for their lasagna. They told me good quality ricotta matters and to try and brand name. Galbani was my first try and it was wonderful. So light and fluffy.
Question, I’m thinking to make this tomorrow night when we have friends over. It looks so good. But I am not a fan of ricotta cheese, or I wasn’t the last time I tried it when I was a kid. Does the recipe need it? Does it add something that would be lacking if I left it out?
The ricotta is sorta like a filler in between the pasta. You could do without it. However, I too used to HATE ricotta cheese until I discovered I was simply going for the low quality kind. Quality does make a difference between brand name and generic here. I found I liked Galbani once I re-tried it. Huge difference.
Oh okay this helps. I will go for the Galbani brand and give it a shot 🙂
Thank you!