Day 9, Buffalo Ranch Chicken Pasta Bake

The highway in and out of our little town was still closed today.  This is one of those little towns that you love to live in but don't enjoy shopping in because our market is overpriced on just about anything that isn't on sale.  With that in mind I was determined to make dinner from just what I had here at home.

I remembered that my daughter had asked last week for Buffalo Chicken Bake, with last week pretty well planned out I told her maybe this week.  She was thrilled to find out that I had all the ingredients on hand for that to be dinner tonight.

I originally found this recipe on facebook which lead me here https://insidebrucrewlife.com/buffalo-chicken-pasta-bake/?fbclid=IwAR2wqlhr2keO0muURObXgiie6RfrT5ljzC_5UhgXt0IzolV2owxcWh0xBRU

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake
Serves 6

Combining buffalo chicken, cheese, and pasta in one casserole creates a meal that everyone will love. This Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake is delicious and can be on the table in 30 minutes.

PREP TIME10 minutes
COOK TIME20 minutes
TOTAL TIME30 minutes

Ingredients
8 ounces - 2 cups uncooked, penne pasta (or substitute cooked cauliflower)
1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup ranch dressing
1/3 cup hot sauce
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (rotisserie or canned)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
green onions, for garnish

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Spray a 8-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray.
Cook the pasta noodles, according to the package directions.
Stir together the cream cheese, ranch, and hot sauce until creamy.
Add the chicken, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and cooked pasta noodles to the cream cheese mixture and stir to combine. 

Spoon into the prepared dish.
Combine the remaining two cheeses and sprinkle over the top of the pasta. 

Bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese on top is melted.
Remove and serve immediately with green onions, hot sauce, and ranch drizzles.

Tonight I opted to use canned chicken because that's what I had but it is excellent with the rotisserie chicken as well. I will occasionally pick up a pre-made rotisserie chicken on my way home from work for what I call a semi homemade dinner.

I also only used cheddar today because I didn't have mozzarella on hand, no one seemed to notice a difference from previous times I've made it because let's face it, cheese is amazing.

As we were eating this tonight my daughter and I were discussing how good the sauce might be as lasagna or even pizza so you might see that twist in the future.

Tonight we served this up with a salad on the side.