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
Did you make this recipe? Rate it!
♡ If you liked this recipe, giving it a star rating ★★★★★ in the comments below really helps! For more recipes, subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
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
Made this recipe for my daughters soccer team, was told that it was better than Olive Garden!! So glad they liked it. I doubled the recipe, i mixed part of the mozzarella in with the pasta and put the rest on top, and used four pounds of cut up chicken. Not for the calorie counter but delicious!
i am going to make this tonight but it sounds like a lot of food for 3 people. so I am going to put the noodles in half of the mixture and none in the other half so that I can freeze it. I know it sounds crazy but it works. that way I won’t have to worry about the noodles. which I will add when it comes out of the freezer. Thanks for your great recipe.
Sounds like a perfectly logical way to me!
My husband does not like sour cream or cream cheese. Can I just up the amount of alfredo sauce and leave the sour cream out? How big of a difference would it make.
Sure you can. It won’t break the recipe. Good luck!
I made this doubled for family coming into town. I was a little nervous having not tested it first . I had to PRINT the recipe for everyone that night. It was a very big hit. I felt like it was better than something I spent a fortune on in a restraunt. I’m making this again for a family friend next week the left overs are als9 fantastic
Wow, that’s a huge compliment having to print it and all that. Share the love! 🙂 Also super happy it turned out well for you without test running it first!
My family always gets together for the holidays so for Christmas I decided to make the Alfredo pasta bake for the very first time and let me tell you it was delicious and real simple to make. Thank you Farah.?
I’m glad it was a success instead of a flop. I always get nervous hearing people make my recipes for the holidays!!! Don’t wanna ruin Christmas and all for you people!
Thanks for the recipe. I modified it a little bit to come up with my own creation. I made half to fit in square pan. I used cream of chicken instead of alfredo sauce. Used Italian blend of shredded cheese with a little in the mix and most on top. Used two chicken breasts that I baked in the oven with parmesan herb bread crumbs. 1 clove of garlic, 1 yellow bell pepper chopped, 4oz sour cream, 1/2 container of ricotta, 1 egg and 1/2 box of pasta. Served with a side of garlic and butter roasted cauliflower.
Happy to hear I gave you something to build on, Beth. Cooking is so much fun when you get creative, especially with what you have in your kitchen.
Hi , i made this to have for dinner tonight but i used left over spaghetti noodles i had left over from dinner last night and added broccoli ,Hope it comes out good..
Yesss I’ve made it that when before to with adding the broccoli and I also added some bacon bits.
Did it turn out okay for you, Loretta?
This is the best pasta dish so delicious!!!! By far one of my favorites making it tonight!
Yaaaay!!! I’m so happy you love it 🙂
Made it over my mother in laws the whole family loved it thanks for the great recipe!!
You’re very welcome, Tawnny! Glad it impressed the in laws!
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it out tonight… I was searching for an alfredo recipe, but couldn’t find any of them with mozzarella incorporated in the mix with ingredients that blended well. This recipe is perfect, just what I was looking for. I would have never though of adding ricotta. You’re a genius!
Thanks, Kimmi! I hope it turned out okay for you!
I just made this tonight for a Christmas Eve party. I’ve never made homemade alfredo and this recipe looked good. I followed the recipe to make the alfredo sauce from scratch and I was kind of unsure if this would be any good. I doubled everything since this was to feed a large group and I added fresh spinach to the mixture. I just want to thank you because this was so good. I mean it was oh my god good. I will definetly be saving this recipe!
Well thank you so much for taking the leap of faith, Tricia. Especially with a double batch. That’s a lot of ingredients of wager with! I am so, so happy it worked out well for you.
I made this tonight for the first time. It was delicious. I will be making it like this from now on.
I’m glad you found a staple, Shay 🙂
Turned out delicious!! Thank you for the recipe – simple enough to make & definitely pleases everyone. (I snuck in cooked mixed vegetables and it added nice color to the dish along with a few nutrients.)
You’re welcome, Melissa! And it’s always fun to hear the slight variations that worked.
I’m curious about the mincing fresh garlic. I haven’t worked with fresh garlic and rather scared to try. I know this might sound blasphemous but do you think I could use garlic salt or powder as a substitute for fresh garlic. I know it might not taste as good, but do you think it could work?
It can absolutely work, Amanda. Try garlic powder instead of minced garlic. If you want to use garlic salt, leave out the salt in step 6 so it’s not super salty. As for trying fresh garlic for the first time, it’s super easy to prep! You get a clove or two from a bulb of garlic, cut off the ends and peel it then dice them super small. Voila! Minced garlic. The rest of the bulb can be stored for future use.
mmm.. I’m eating this right now- It’s seriously amazing. I added a package of cooked cut spinach (thoroughly squeezed) – and it’s delicious! Definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Happy to help, Marie! Spinach will work with this, and you did right getting all the excess liquid out! Thanks for trying it out 🙂
Thank you so much for this really fantastic recipe!! Life events have recently forced me to start having to figure out how to feed 3 people everyday, and I’ve NEVER been any good in the kitchen, NEVER imagined I’d be able to pull off a meal that wasn’t something pre-frozen or processed, let alone DELICIOUS. I got off work yesterday and was tired of heating up the same old things, so I started looking online for something new and exciting, and was lucky to come across your website with this amazing chicken Alfredo recipe. I can’t figure out why, but cookbooks and recipes always intimidate me. But I saw all of the wonderful pictures, the short list of ingredients, the simple, easy to understand instructions, and I thought that I could definitely do this – I was inspired and encouraged by you, i wasn’t in fear of screwing this up due to my lack of basic, fundamental cooking knowledge. I also started following your steps for poached chicken, and got inspired enough to grill my chicken breasts instead, spiced it and everything!! My fiancé thinks I’m a naturally gifted cook now, seeing as how the Alfredo bake turned out so excellent on my very first attempt at cooking ANYTHING! So I just wanted to thank you for dedicating your time and efforts into making this website and share the story of my success which comes solely from you! I’ll be looking into many more of your recipes on this website going forward, in addition to sharing it with those around me. You most definitely have a talent not only in cooking, but in conveying your message!
Oh, I can’t tell you how this makes my heart swell with pride! For you and your success, and for the fact that I must be doing something right on my blog. I LOVE hearing someone new to cooking having an easy time with a recipe. And to try something like this out your first time is really ambitious! Congratulations!!! Thank you for coming back and making my day with a well thought out comment and I wish you luck in the kitchen with other recipes. Keep on trying and never get discouraged!