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Lindsay, This was SO good! My kids liked it too, although they did pick out some of the onions. As my 6 year old said, “I really like it because it has bacon!” Thanks for another great recipe. I always use your blog for ideas for meals, especially when I don’t want to go to the store. I had everything I needed for this at home.
Mindy G
Hiiii friends!
It’s pumpkin loving me, still here, still going strong, even though it’s November tomorrow. Lots of shock and denial about that going on up in the brain, because November equals the start of the holiday season which equals the start of Big Bad Winterrrr here in Minnesota. I’ve worn my fuzzy hat like five times already this week and my teeth are chattering nonstop.
Basically what happened in this recipe is that everything good about fall went and got all cozy together in a pan just in time for dinner. Caramelized onions make for a rich and velvety pumpkin sauce to blanket that shredded chicken with love. Pasta and cheese hold everything together, and b-a-c-o-n means crispy delicious is up in tha howwwwse.
So but backing up a tad wee bit. I have good news about the Winter thing: pumpkin still tastes good even in November, and it might even taste BETTER in the winter because it warms you to the toes. And it’s especially delicious when used in non-tradish ways like as a sauce for a chicken bacon pumpkin pasta bake. Life is good when this baby is in your oven.
Wait, no, I didn’t mean… NO. This is not me making any awkward announcements.
This IS me being an utter fool for cheesy oven-baked pasta.
And now for the topic of kitchen remodel. Someday soon, I will have a kitchen again. Won’t that be fun? — said in the most genuinely excited, actually-I-mean-it voice ever. I am beside myself with anticipation for the day when I make this again, and many other things requiring use of stove, oven, fridge, and maybe even dishwasher *holla* and take pretty pictures RIGHT ON THE COOKTOP and RIGHT ON THE COUNTERTOP because we now have triple the natural light sources in the kitchen. NO SERIOUSLY TRIPLE. I AM SHOUTING A LOT RIGHT NOW.
Countertops will go in soon, and I can totally wait another two weeks. I totally can. I can I can I cannnnnot! But I can.
These pictures were obviously not taken in the basement, nor was this yummy little number made in the basement, as much as I want it to be. If you could see what the basement really looks like right now, you would see me at a folding table working under mean, harsh, fluorescent lights that flicker – no for real, they flicker – with an obnoxiously strong cinnamony candle burning right next to the computer to try to bring a little good cheer into my life (I already know this is a very bad idea having to do with Hot Wax On Keyboard and yet I continue to let it happen because I’m a rebel child), sporting my old slippers to combat against the icy cold cement floors, and sipping a tea on the other side of the laptop because apparently I am actively seeking out the opportunity to destroy my computer. <– lie. I love my computer. I just equally love candles and tea. Why can’t we all just get along?!?
If you have a kitchen, and if you have a functional stove and oven combo, be blessed by melted cheese and pasta tonight with a fallish pumpkin and caramelized onion sauce and chicken for filling and bacon for delicious. You deserve all the homemade goodness that is packed into that pan. I really mean that and I have no hint of jealousy in my voice whatsoever. None. Negativo. Nada.
I heart your face eating this for dinner.
But… seriously.
Chicken Bacon Pumpkin Pasta Bake
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 (nutrition info is for 10 servings) 1x
Description
Chicken Bacon Pumpkin Pasta Bake! Caramelized onions make for a rich and velvety pumpkin sauce to blanket that shredded chicken with love.
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 yellow onion
- a splash of white wine (optional)
- 1 clove garlic
- 18 ounces pumpkin puree (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage
- a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (or just ground)
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
For the Pasta:
- 1 lb. uncooked pasta
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup Mozzarella or other white melty cheese
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- crumbled, cooked bacon (as much or little as you want)
- parsley for topping
Instructions
- Caramelize the onions: Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cut the onion into thin slices and add to the melted butter in the pan. Keeping the heat on medium-low, cook the onions until they are caramelized and deep golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. You can add a splash of white wine as they’re cooking to get a little extra sweetness.
- Make the sauce: Puree the garlic, pumpkin, chicken broth, milk, olive oil, salt, sage, nutmeg, and pepper in a blender until smooth. Add to the caramelized onions in the pan and cook until heated through.
- Prep pasta and chicken: Cook the pasta according to package directions, stopping a little early so they are still firm enough to hold their shape in the oven. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and add the chicken, cooking for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. Remove from the water; when cool enough to handle, shred the chicken.
- Assemble and bake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the cooked pasta, chicken, and bacon with the pumpkin sauce and 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese. Transfer to a greased 9×13 baking dish, top with remaining cheese and cover with greased foil to prevent sticking. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and let stand a few minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chicken bacon pumpkin pasta, pumpkin pasta bake, bacon pumpkin pasta
Sounds Yummy!! Could you use Ricotta Cheese instead of mozzarella cheese if that is all you have on hand?
Great question! The texture and flavor of ricotta is quite different from mozzarella, so it’s hard to say how it would turn out. You could try, but I don’t think you’d get that nice melted cheese texture, but it’d probably still be tasty and creamy!
pumpkin is ALL YEAR! Thankfully I still have a can so will be making this in march! I always love adding a new POY recipe to my book 🙂
Love this Chicken Bacon Pumpkin Pasta Bake recipe . Will love to try this amazing one .Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.
Pumpkin….
Do you puree it raw or cook it first?
Pumkin… do you puree it raw or cooked? Totally confused here. 😀
Hi Amanda! You can used canned pumpkin puree here! You can also make homemade pumpkin puree by cooking (roasting) a pie pumpkin until soft and then pureeing it!
I subbed the chicken and bacon for 500g of sausage bangers which I chopped up and fried up before mixing in. My family loved it, including my pumpkin hating husband. I may have been a bit heavy handed with the cheese 🙂
I’m making this right now, but I’m a little worried. Is the pumpkin sauce supposed to be thick? Because mine is the consistency of milk! I’m afraid if I use it all, my casserole will be too watery. I guess I’ll wing it and hope for the best!!
Wow! It looks delicious, I can see that it is more tastier than a regular dish, It has this unique taste that everyone can agree. Thank you for making it more special. I love it. Good job!
Well, we made this tonight (sans chicken for budget reasons) and added spinach – it turned out awesome! Wish I could submit a photo because it looked as good as it tasted. So delicious!
Hey, Celeste! Awesome to hear you enjoyed it! Tag us on Facebook or Instagram next time – we’d love to see what you made!
Sorry don’t have social media but two thumbs up nonetheless
Yay!
Could this be made without the chicken? Thanks in advance we love your blog
Hi, Celeste! We haven’t tested this without chicken yet, but we think it’d work just fine. 🙂
I had high expectations for this recipe (the picture looked AMAZING) but unfortunately it fell short for me. The pumpkin sauce sounded like it was going to be so good but it was bland. The whole dish lacked seasoning.
Sorry to hear that, Ashley. Thanks for the feedback!
Delicious. Really yummy.
It turned out great. Tasty with out being too rich
I’m confused on the pumpkin puree. Are you cooking a fresh/raw pumpkin to puree with the rest of the ingredients, or just using canned pumpkin puree?
Made this for dinner tonight, it was as delicious as I thought it would be. I sautéed chicken in the same pan I cooked the bacon in. After that, I caramelized the onions in that pan, didn’t have an open bottle of white wine, so added a splash of sherry. I added a 5 oz bag of baby spinach and a cup of peas. I also opted to just put the whole cup of mozzarella over the top. It was decadent while being reasonably healthy. Thank you for an awesome recipe!
Lindsay, This was SO good! My kids liked it too, although they did pick out some of the onions. As my 6 year old said, “I really like it because it has bacon!” Thanks for another great recipe. I always use your blog for ideas for meals, especially when I don’t want to go to the store. I had everything I needed for this at home.
Thanks for sharing
This looks really good! Can it be made in a crockpot? Any suggested modifications if I try to do so?
We haven’t tried this in a crockpot so can’t really say! If you give it a shot, we’d love to hear how it goes.
I haven’t even pulled the dish out of the oven yet but I know it’s going to be amazing. I really want to thank you for the pumpkin sauce recipe. I LOVE pumpkin pasta sauce but live in a small town with very limited grocery stores. Having the sauce, it’s even better (and cheaper) than what I bought at the store so I can’t wait to make it again simply for pasta. Also, I didn’t have nutmeg so I substituted pumpkin pie spice and it still tastes great. Thanks again!
Awesome, Meg! Glad to hear it!
I hosted a GNI and served this past as the main dish: it was a HIT 😀 :D.
One of my friend was initially skeptical about it because she is not a fan of pumpkin, but she absolutely loved the meal. It was super creamy and full of flavour. Thank you for sharing, and i look forward to trying some of your other recipes :D.
I need a hot side dish for an autumn baby shower…with cherry chicken salad wraps and a green salad. What do you think?
This was a bland recipe. Any recipe with squash can be bland unless flavored with a lot of spice; this needed more flavor. I would suggest less pasta (1/2 pound), don’t boil the chicken – use rotisserie or roast the chicken with more flavor.
When you do get a bite of flavor (sage, pumpkin, and nutmeg) it is interesting but those flavorful bites are few and far between.
I’ve had similar issues with squash before so I usually go big on garlic and sage and then if you really want some flavor, try using a smoked gouda cheese. I’m going to make this for a Halloween potluck on Monday with these adaptations. I also liked the suggestion someone had for sauteeing the chicken. I’ll report back!
Sorry to hear that, Patricia. Thanks for the feedback!
Just wondering how you prepare the pumpkin before pureeing it?? Really excited to try this!!
Hi Theresa! We just use pureed pumpkin in a can – no need to prep. 🙂
How much onion did you use? A small onion, a big onion?
Hi, Kathleen! We used a medium-sized yellow onion. You can use a smaller or bigger onion, depending on your preferences. 🙂
Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!!!
It’s a year later, and this is still one of my family’s and guest favorite dishes. My children and friends ask for this all yearlong, even in the heat of Oklahoma’s scorching summers. They ask for this so much so, that I decided this year to make a huge batch of the sauce, can it, and have it on hand to save time. It also makes it easier for the younger ones to easily whip together a hearty meal I’m not home, or going to be late. I thought I was all set, till my older children discovered what I’d done, while home on a visit, and absconded with my 20 jars of sauce. My youngest acted as if the world might be coming to an end, so I promised to make more this weekend, which brought back his smile, along with some advice . . . Mum, we seriously have to hide this in a good place this time.
Awesome, Tonia! Glad you liked it!