A 10-minute total crowd-pleaser, this Dump and Bake Chicken Alfredo Pasta Casserole is an easy, cheesy, comfort food dinner for your busiest weeknights — and you don’t even have to boil the pasta!
Yes, yes…it’s true! This meal RIGHT HERE is the stuff of carb-lovers’ dreams!
With practically no effort at all (and only a handful of very simple ingredients), you can have a homemade Chicken Alfredo Pasta tender, warm, and oozing with creamy goodness…
My family has loved all of the other Dump-and-Bake dishes that I’ve made, and it seems like you guys have too! What’s not to love, right? You don’t even have to boil the pasta or prep any ingredients, and the noodles come out tender and perfect every time!
Serve this casserole with a green salad or some steamed broccoli on the side, and you’ve got a complete meal ready in a matter of minutes. In fact, it’s WAY easier (and cheaper) than even grabbing take-out from the local Italian restaurant. Can’t beat that!
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Dump and Bake Chicken Alfredo Pasta Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce package uncooked rotini pasta
- 1 22 ounce jar Alfredo sauce (I used Prego Roasted Garlic Parmesan Alfredo)
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups diced rotisserie chicken or other diced cooked chicken
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
- Optional: Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped herbs such as basil, oregano, and parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a large baking dish, stir together uncooked pasta, alfredo sauce, chicken stock, chicken, and garlic. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover; stir. At this point you should check the pasta to make sure that it is al dente (firm but just about finished cooking). I have had good luck with the 30-minute cook time; however, some readers have noted that it required about 10 or 15 minutes longer. If it’s still too hard after 30 minutes, just cover the dish and return to the oven until pasta is al dente. Then move on to the next step.
- Sprinkle mozzarella over the top. Bake uncovered for 10 more minutes (or until cheese is melted and pasta is tender).
- Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan or fresh chopped herbs, if desired.
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Looking for other delicious Dump-and-Bake dinner options? Try these:
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Taco Casserole
Dump-and-Bake Meatball Casserole
Dump-and-Bake Skinny Chicken Parmesan Casserole
This definitely looks like a carb-lover’s dream! Love the alfredo flavor, one of my favorites! Such a great comfort meal!
Yep, total comfort food — and definitely approved by boys and men! 🙂
Could you cook the noodles first? I just realized I am completely out of tin foil! Would the cooking time change if I did boil the noodles first?
Hi, Bayleigh! You can definitely cook the pasta in advance, but the recipe ingredients will change. There is a lot of liquid in the original recipe because the raw pasta absorbs that liquid as it’s cooking in the dish. If you’re using pasta that’s already cooked, I would completely omit the broth and just use the alfredo sauce as a base. The cooking time will be much shorter because you’re just heating it through until it’s bubbly and warm (probably only 20 minutes or so). Hope that helps!
Another option would be to find a small oven-safe pot or sheet pan that can cover your dish tightly instead of the foil. 🙂
Can you add raw broccoli to this dish?
Hi, Teresa! Yes, I think that’s a great idea! I would just cut it small enough that it cooks through easily in the baking time allotted.
Could I make this in a slow cooker?
Hi! Yes, I think you probably can, although I’ve never tried it that way so you will have to just play with the cooking time to see how long it takes for the pasta to become tender.
There is so mu yumminess in this ♥
summerdaisy.net
Thanks, Summer! 🙂
Can’t believe that this is that easy! I love the twirl of the pasta., too. It adds fun!
Thanks, Heart! Yep, the kids love the twirly pasta as well!
Dump & Bake is the best! Always on our weekly menu.
The only way to go with little kids, right Alison?! 🙂
This was a huge hit in my house and so easy to make! I even added spinach. Definitely will be making again and again….
Awesome! That’s great, Amanda! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it. I love the idea of adding spinach — so smart!
Seems liquidy when i took the foil off ? Am I missing something ?
It depends, Rachel — did you check the pasta? If it’s tender and cooked through, then I’d say you’re good to go. You want it to be somewhat “saucy” so that your dish isn’t too dry. If the pasta still seems a bit firm, then I’d pop it back in the oven for a few more minutes (and it will soak up more of the liquid). Hope that helps! 🙂
I was concerned too but the 10 min of uncovered cooking helps to thicken the sauce up! It’ll be liquidy when you first take off the foil.
Thanks for the feedback, Abbey!
Hi, Blair, Does dump chicken Alfredo freeze well? Also can the recipe be doubled or tripled without adjustments? Thanks.
Hey, Jennifer! I actually have never tried freezing it. If you’re going to do that, I would freeze it BEFORE baking — not after. Then you would just have to extend the baking time to account for the fact that your ingredients are frozen when you put them in the oven. 🙂 I would think it should work fine, though.
And yes — you can definitely double or triple the recipe. Just make sure that you increase the pan size (or use more pans) and double/triple ALL of the ingredients in the same proportions. Enjoy! 🙂
Blair, Thank you for the speedy reply. If I freeze it I will let you know how it goes.
You’re very welcome! Definitely let me know if you give it a try! 🙂
Did you try freezing it yet? I had the same question.
Hi, Lisa! No, I haven’t. I did check on the company’s website to see if the alfredo sauce can be frozen. The company says that it can be frozen; however, they warn that it might change in consistency and require lots of stirring when reheating to get any clumps out of the sauce. I’m not sure how well that would work in this casserole since it can be difficult to stir a dish like this after it’s assembled. Personally, I would err on the side of caution and not freeze this particular dish. 🙂
Looks yummy. Do you think you could sub in shrimp and maybe some imatation crab for the chicken. I have a house full of grandkids for the weekend and this is the answer to dinner. My grandkids love shrimp.
Hi, LuAnne! I’m so glad that you might share this with your grandchildren! My boys love shrimp too, but I’ve never tried it in a dump-and-bake pasta. I would be concerned that the shrimp might get overcooked since they will likely cook much faster than the pasta. Crab meat would probably work fine, or you could use extra Jumbo large shrimp that have a longer cooking time? Just a thought! Have a great weekend!
I like the sound of that! It would nake a great small app for a dinner party, elevated by the seafoid. I’m saving this one fir our Cousons Club summer party. Thanks girls!
Can you sub gluten free noodles? If so any changes?
Hi, Donna! I would think so, but I honestly have not tried that. I don’t use gluten free products, so I’m not sure if they require a different cooking time or not. Sorry that I’m not much help in that regard. I would think that if you use a similar shape pasta (even gluten free), that it would be fine. 🙂
I would like to make this for a graduation party, do you have any suggestions for making this in a large roaster?
Hi, Roni! That’s great — so glad that you’ll make it for the party! This recipe uses a 13 x 9-inch baking dish (about 3.5 quart dish), which is one of the larger standard baking dishes. If you have a giant roaster pan that holds 7 or 8 quarts, then you can definitely just double all of the ingredients and bake it in that one giant pan (the cooking time should be about the same). If you don’t have a giant pan to accommodate a double recipe, then I would just suggest doubling the ingredients and dividing them between two separate 13 x 9-inch pans. Hope that helps, and enjoy!
Can this be made ahead & refrigerated?
Hi, Jess! You can definitely do that for a couple of hours, but I wouldn’t let it sit for too long (for instance, overnight). I worry that the pasta might get too mushy or would absorb too much of the liquid before baking. Hope that helps, and enjoy!
That definitely helps! Thanks so much!
Can you cook this with broccoli? If so, fresh or frozen? And do you just add it in with everything in the beginning and bake?
Hi, Stacey! Yes, you can definitely add broccoli to the recipe! I would grab a bag of frozen broccoli florets (because they’re easier!) and just cook them in the microwave for a few minutes. That will give them a head start so that they’re crisp-tender when you add them to the dish. You don’t want to totally cook them until they’re mushy because they will continue cooking in the oven with the casserole. Let me know if you have any other questions! 🙂
Could I double this?
Hi, Reese! Yes, you can definitely double the recipe. I would keep all of the proportions exactly the same, and divide the mixture between two large baking dishes. Cooking instructions should be the same! 🙂
I’m in the mostly-soft food phase of jaw surgery recovery, so this was a nice change from all of the tomato sauce dishes (and for anyone wondering, this is much easier to eat than traditional Alfredo). I had to bake for close to 50 minutes before I was able to add the cheese, but that may have been because I used a little more chicken stock to be sure that the pasta was fully covered. I used a deep, round dish, so I think that also altered the cooking time a bit. I only used one cup of mozzarella and it was still super cheesy. It was a huge hit with my husband so I’ll be making it again.
Hi
I just made this and it turned out horrible!
I just see now scrolling down to leave a comment you stste to a person asking about doubling the recipie that this recipe is designed for a 13z9 baking dish. That should be stated in the recopie not a large baking dish. This was raw on the yop and mush on the bottom and lacked flavor and a sauce.At almost 60
Cooking not new to me , I even dumped out the first dish into a smaller one to bake but knowing itt was a 13×9 would have helped. What a waste of ingredients.
I can’t wait to try this. I had a friend in my college days who made amazing fettuccine Alfredo. His secret: He cooked the pasta in chicken broth!
I think you’ll love this, Lisa! Enjoy! 🙂
Does anyone have a suggestion to reduce the amount of sodium in the Dump and Bake Chicken Alfredo Pasta Casserole other than using no sodium chicken stock? The sodium continent is twice the amount of what renal patients should have.
Hi, Ellen! I know that some readers have had success with making their own alfredo sauce from scratch to use in the recipe. That would obviously add to the prep time, but it would allow you to control the amount of salt that goes into the sauce. Another option would be to decrease the amount of cheese that you use in the recipe, since cheese also includes sodium. Hope that helps, and enjoy!