This simple Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells Recipe is filled with rotisserie chicken, bacon and flavored with ranch seasoning. All topped with an oozy, cheesy, Alfredo Sauce it's a great weeknight meal!
Looking for another tasty casserole? Next time try Philly Stuffed Baked Tortellini Casserole is so easy to make and a real family favorite!
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
It's easy to make, cheesy and delicious! Leftover freeze great and you can easily vary the toppings so you're not eating the same meal for days in a row!
BTW I may not have emphasized the BACON enough! Yes - the more bacon the better for meaty, salty flavor and crunch!!
🗒️ Ingredients
For the exact measurements, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Alfredo Sauce - of course these are Alfredo stuffed sauce, but you can also use Vodka sauce or Marinara as well - delicious!
- I used a box of jumbo shells, but you can also use manicotti or cannelloni pasta tubes as well.
- cooked chicken breast - rotisserie chicken would work great for this recipe
- mozzarella cheese - although I often use packaged pre-shredded cheese, freshly shredded mozzarella cheese will melt better and tasty better too.
- bacon cooked until crispy and crumbled - more bacon? Always a plus!
- cottage cheese - or ricotta would be a great substitute.
- cream cheese - you can substitute Neufchatel or mascarpone cheese, but I think I always have a brick of creamed cheese on hand.
- powdered ranch dressing mix - want and Italian flavor? Try powdered Italian Salad Dressing instead!
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. For the complete directions just scroll down to the bottom!
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare casserole dish by greasing with butter or cooking spray, set aside.
- Cook the pasta shells in a large pot of boiling water to al dente, drain pasta shells well.
- Cook the bacon until it's super crispy, drain well and crumble. Dice the chicken.
- Combine the Alfredo Sauce with 5 ounces of cream cheese
- Next combine the chicken mixture, ½ the mozzarella, 3 ounces of cream cheese, bacon and powdered ranch mix.
- Ladle a small amount of sauce onto the bottom of the casserole dish. Stuff cooked pasta shells and line them up in the pan.
- Pour the remaining sauce on top of the pasta shells, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over the casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil. Place in the preheated oven and bake until hot & bubbly!
🙋♀️ FAQ's
Yes, the pasta needs to be cooked to al dente, before stuffing with the cheesy mixture.
Again cook it to al dente (because it's going to finish cooking in the oven). Also boil it with well salted water. Using plenty of sauce in the casserole is important as well because you don't want the dish to be dry.
Covering the pasta will help hold in the moisture and keep it from getting dry.
👍 Tips
- Cook the pasta shells to al dente because they will finish cooking in the oven.
- To soften the cream cheese and make it easy to incorporate, place in a small bowl and microwave in 10 second intervals until it's soft and mixable.
- Sauce it up! Use plenty of sauce to top the shells and make them extra cheesy!
- If your sauce isn't "saucy" enough, added some milk, heavy cream or even evaporated milk. It will thicken up while baking.
- If you're wondering how many shells per person - plan on 3-4 shells for a generous serving.
📓 Variations
This recipe makes a BIG casserole dish and servings for 6-8. However here at the house, it's just Dan and I. And just like you, I don't like eating the same meal night after night.
So to eliminate the redundancy I split the shells in half. I actually put half in one casserole dish topped with Alfredo Sauce. The second half in another dish and topped it with marinara sauce and froze it.
Two separate dish, one day of cooking - love that! I hope you give that a try as well!
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container, or cover casserole with plastic wrap, store in the refrigerator up to three days. Freezes well up to three months.
Serving suggestions
My goodness this is a yummy, rich meal! If you're looking for an easy side dish, serving it with a bagged Caesar salad mix. (I swear this is my go-to lately!). If you want a bright fresh garden salad that is perfect as well!
For sides, I've served Chicken Alfredo stuffed shells with Steamed Brussels sprouts, roasted broccoli, steamed greens beans and asparagus - all are delicious. I think keeping it simple with a steamed, roasted or grilled vegetable is perfect because this meal is so rich!
Of course a loaf of garlic bread is a must with this meal!
Related recipes
Oh my goodness, I'm all about the pasta! Here are some of my favorite recipes for yummy pasta casseroles.
- This recipe for Copycat Cheesecake Factory Chicken and Broccoli Pasta is a must make if you love this meal. It's a quick skillet meal and it's so cheesy and delicious!
- Creamy Pasta Primavera is a great baked pasta casserole. Stuffed with vegetables, it's a great way to enjoy summer veggies!
- Creamy, cheesy and delicious Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel is one of the most popular casseroles on the blog!
- I have not met a person who doesn't love the Ultimate Chicken Casserole Recipe! It is so creamy and delicious. It's easy to make too and leftovers freeze great!
🤔 What I've learned
Here's one of the best things I've learned about recipe writing and casserole dishes.
Here it is... you can never have too much sauce! Pasta absorbs sauces and having it dripping in sauce and cheese it really one of the biggest secrets to making a great dish.
Skimping on sauce makes for a dry dish - no one likes that! Too much is ok, in fact it's GREAT!
Don't forget to check out my Amazon storefront for some of my favorite products! 🛍️
When you make this please comment below and let me know what you think! I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @bowl_me_over or #bowlmeover - so I can see your photos!
If you love this recipe please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating!
Don't forget to check out my Amazon storefront for some of my favorite products! 🛍️
When you make this please comment below and let me know what you think! I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @bowl_me_over or #bowlmeover - so I can see your photos!
If you love this recipe please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating!
Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells with Bacon and Ranch
Ingredients
- 22 ounces Alfredo Sauce That's about a jar and a half.
- 12 ounce jumbo pasta shells
- 1 ½ cups cooked chicken breasts leftover rotisserie chicken works great for this recipe
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 6 slices bacon cooked until crispy and crumbled
- 1 cup cottage cheese ricotta cheese is a great substitute
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon ranch dressing mix
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Cook the pasta shells to al dente, drain well.
- Cook the bacon until it's super crispy, drain well and crumble.
- Dice the chicken.
- In a medium bowl, combine the jar of Alfredo Sauce with 5 ounces of melted cream cheese. Whisk until you have a creamy sauce, set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, ½ the mozzarella cheese, 3 ounces of cream cheese, cottage cheese, bacon and powdered ranch mix.
- Ladle a small amount of sauce onto the bottom of the casserole dish. Stuff the shells with the chicken cheese mixture and line them up in the baking dish.
- Pour the remaining creamy Alfredo sauce over top of the pasta shells, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over the casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil.
- Place in preheated oven and bake until hot and bubbly!
- To brown the top of your casserole, remove the foil and place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!
Notes
- Cook the pasta shells to al dente because they will finish cooking in the oven.
- To soften the cheese and make it easy to incorporate, place in a small bowl and microwave in 10 second intervals until it's soft and mixable.
- Sauce it up! Use plenty of sauce to top the shells and make them extra cheesy!
- If you're wondering how many shells per person - plan on 3-4 shells for a generous serving.
