Bacon Chicken Ranch Pasta

         So this recipe is a little more frugal. Through out it, I made some exchanges in ingredients to make it healthier. The penne pasta I used was whole wheat. Turkey bacon to replace the fatty bacon. Skim milk in exchange for the heavy cream. A Ranch dressing powder packet instead of the bottled version. Also, low fat sharp cheddar. You may think that with these changes it would change the outcome of the product wanted. The only thing about using the Ranch powder packet is not to use the whole thing because it would dry the product out. So only 1/2 of the whole packet was needed. The whole what penne noodles give you a more sense of fullness. When eating the finished pasta, you feel a lot better knowing you made the healthy substitutes. I highly recommend this delicious meal.

 

 

What you’ll need:

10-12 oz penne pasta

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed

3/4 cup cooked and crumbled bacon

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups heavy cream (milk would be fine, too)

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic salt

1/3 cup ranch dressing

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation:

1. After chicken is thawed, cut into small cubes and set aside.

2. Cook bacon in skillet, do not toss grease. Crumble bacon and set aside. Start boiling water for pasta and cook according to package directions.

3. Cook chicken in bacon grease until no longer pink inside. Pour off grease and continue cooking chicken for 2 minutes to sear, stirring frequently.

4. Add bacon and chicken to drained pasta and set aside.

To make sauce

1. Melt butter in medium saucepan. Once melted, add flour and stir to combine (this is called a roux).

2. Once you have your roux, add heavy cream and stir constantly until sauce thickens (I found I had to turn my burner up a few clicks above medium).

3. Remove from heat and add garlic salt, onion powder, and ranch dressing (I used a little more ranch to make it more ranch-y)

Combining everything

 

1. Add sauce to pasta mixture and stir well to combine. Add cheddar cheese and mix well.

2. Pour whole mixture into a 9×13 baking dish and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

3. Serve and enjoy!