Baked Pasta with Chicken & Shrimp is a creamy, hearty pasta casserole made with penne, tender chicken, shrimp, bacon, and Parmesan sauce. This easy make-ahead pasta bake can be frozen for later, making it a convenient family dinner or meal for unexpected guests.
3tablespoonParmesan cheesegrated, used in the topping
2teaspoonrosemaryminced, fresh
1½teaspoonspaprika
½teaspoon thymeminced, fresh
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°.
Prepare sauce by melting butter over medium low heat in medium saucepan.
Add garlic and sweat it for about 5 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't brown.
Add the wine and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the half-and-half, milk, chicken broth, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, cornstarch, Dijon mustard, rosemary, thyme, salt, and cayenne pepper; whisk until smooth.
Bring mixture to a simmer; simmer for 10 minutes or until thick.
Remove sauce from heat; cover and set aside.
Cook the pasta following directions on the package until it is “al dente”--tender, but not mushy.
Drain pasta and set aside.
In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy; remove from pan.
Cook the chicken breasts in the bacon drippings; remove from pan and cut into bite-size pieces.
Cook raw shrimp in same pan or gently warm cooked shrimp. Cook until opaque and just cooked through
Build the dish in the following manner
You can use one large shallow casserole dish or individual serving dishes: In the dish, place the pasta, chicken, bacon, shrimp and cover with sauce; toss to coat.
Mix 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and paprika; sprinkle over the top.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until bubbly with a browned top.
Notes
We often make extras of these, building individual casserole dishes. Then freezing for later use. We use gallon size plastic ziplocks.