This is a creamy and delicious pasta dish and is perfect for a crowd on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. BTW, if you didn’t catch my New Year’s Celebration post full of yummy munchies, check it out here.

Pasta shells are great because you can pack so much goodness into those pasta pouch. My stuffing includes, cooked chicken, crispy bacon, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, fresh parsley and red pepper flakes for heat. I then bake the stuffed shells in a creamy Alfredo Sauce 😋 I mean, doesn’t that sound delicious, are you drooling yet? Crispy bacon and creaminess, yes please.

For this dish you could easily buy Alfredo Sauce, but I made my own because I find the sauce easy to create. Two, I know what’s in the sauce versus buying something from the store. I like cooking from scratch, what can I say 😉.

This dish is great to make if you’re entertaining because you can easily prepare it before the guests arrive. Two, Chicken Alfredo is usually a crowd-pleaser, even for the pickiest eaters 😉. I served mine with garlic bread, which was perfect for scooping up the Alfredo Sauce and a salad, which added brightness to the rich dish. Note: I only used 1/2 box of large pasta shells, but you could easily double the recipe if you’re looking to cook more servings. However, I would not double the Alfredo Sauce since that is only used at the base of casserole dish and on top of the shells.

Chicken & Bacon Alfredo Stuffed Shells

Jackie

This is a creamy and delicious pasta dish and it is perfect for a crowd.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6 people, i.e. 3 shells each

Ingredients

  

• ½ box large pasta shells, cook to al dente
• 1 cup pasta water, this will be used to build your Alfredo Sauce for baking
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded. Note: I used part skim mozzarella cheese.

For the Stuffing

• 3 cups cooked chicken, cut in small cubes
• 6 slices bacon, sliced thinly for frying
• 1 cups ricotta cheese, Note: I used whole milk.
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded. Note: I used part skim mozzarella cheese.
• ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, remove the leaves from the stems and chop
• ½ tps red pepper flakes, optional for head
• 1 egg
• Salt & pepper, for seasoning

Alfredo Sauce

• Bacon fat, save the bacon drippings when you crisp your bacon
• 2 TBSP butter
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed & chopped
• 2 TBSP all purpose flour
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup milk, I used 2%
• 1½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded finely
• 1½ cup asiago cheese, shredded finely
• Salt & pepper, for seasoning

Instructions

 

The Stuffing

• Begin by frying your bacon. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon once the bacon is crispy and set the bacon fat frying pan aside for building your Alfredo Sauce later.
  
• Add all the stuffing ingredients to a mixing bowl.
  
• Mix together and set aside.
  

Alfredo Sauce

• Shred the cheeses finely.
  
• Warm the reserved bacon fat and your butter together.
  
• Add your garlic and stir on medium heat, until fragrant.
  
• Add your flour to the fat and garlic to create a roux.
  
• On low heat, begin to add your cream and milk and whisk together.
  
• Add your cheeses in small-ish batches until well combined.
  
• Continue to whisk until nice and thick. Remove the Alfredo Sauce from the heat until you're ready to build your casserole.
  

Build The Casserole

• Grab a large casserole dish, the al dente shells, chicken bacon ricotta stuffing and the Alfredo Sauce. In a small mixing bowl, add 2 cups of Alfredo Sauce and 1 cup of pasta water and combine together.
  
• Add ½ of the sauce to the base of the casserole dish.
• Stuff each shell with a spoonful or two of the stuffing.
  
• As you stuff the shells, place them in your casserole dish.
  
• Top the shells with the remaining Alfredo Sauce.
  
• Top with mozzarella cheese.
  
• Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until the casserole looks creamy and delicious. Remove the foil in the last 15 minutes to help create some golden color 😋.
  
• Serve warm with garlic bread and a fresh salad, enjoy & cheers 🥂
  

Notes

• You can buy Alfredo Sauce versus making your own.
• You could use milk or half & half instead of cream.
• You could use part-skim or whole milk ricotta.
• This dish can be made in advance and baked when ready.
• This recipe can easily be doubled and don’t be afraid to crowd your shells in the casserole dish. Note: I would not double the Alfredo Sauce because this recipe is enough for your casserole dish.

Keyword Chicken & Bacon Alfredo, Chicken Alfredo, Stuffed Shells