Chicken Ranch Pasta Bake (Printable)

Tender chicken, penne pasta, and creamy ranch sauce combined with melted mozzarella cheese for a golden, bubbly casserole.

# Ingredient List:

→ Pasta & Chicken

01 - 10 oz penne pasta
02 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced or shredded

→ Sauce

03 - 1 cup ranch dressing
04 - 1 cup sour cream
05 - 1/2 cup whole milk
06 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
07 - 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
08 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
09 - 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
10 - 1/2 teaspoon dried dill

→ Cheese

11 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
12 - 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, optional for topping

→ Garnish

13 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or green onions, optional

# How to Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.
02 - Cook penne pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente according to package directions. Drain thoroughly and set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together ranch dressing, sour cream, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, dried parsley, and dried dill until smooth and well combined.
04 - Add the cooked pasta and diced chicken to the sauce mixture. Stir thoroughly to coat all pasta evenly.
05 - Fold in 1.5 cups of the shredded mozzarella cheese until evenly distributed throughout the pasta mixture.
06 - Pour the pasta and sauce mixture into the prepared baking dish, spreading evenly. Sprinkle remaining 0.5 cup mozzarella and parmesan cheese over the top.
07 - Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until cheese is melted and the top is golden brown.
08 - Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh chives or green onions if desired, then serve.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like your favorite ranch dip transformed into a full meal that actually satisfies.
  • You can throw it together with rotisserie chicken and have dinner ready in under an hour on the messiest weeknights.
  • The golden bubbly cheese on top gives you those crispy edges everyone fights over.
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully and somehow taste even better the next day.
02 -
  • If you overcook the pasta before baking, it turns to mush in the oven, so pull it off the heat a minute early.
  • Don't skip letting the dish rest after baking, it needs those few minutes for the sauce to thicken up and cling properly.
  • Using cold chicken straight from the fridge can make the bake take longer to heat through, so let it come to room temp if you have time.
03 -
  • Reserve a little pasta cooking water before draining, you can stir it into the sauce if it looks too thick before baking.
  • Let your baking dish sit on a sheet pan in the oven to catch any cheese that bubbles over and save yourself scrubbing later.
  • For extra crispy cheese on top, broil the casserole for the last 2 minutes, but watch it closely so it doesn't burn.
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