Three Cheese Chicken Rosa Bake – great make-ahead pasta dish. Penne pasta, four cheese Alfredo sauce, tomato paste, sour cream, ricotta, garlic, chicken, eggs, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese. SO good!! We make this at least once a month! Can freeze half for later. This is THE BEST pasta casserole we’ve ever eaten! Better than any dish at our favorite Italian restaurant!
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Pin This RecipeEasy Chicken Pasta Casserole
This Three Cheese Chicken Rosa Pasta Bake might be my all-time favorite pasta casserole. Chicken and pasta baked in creamy rosa sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. O-M-YUM! Super simple to make and it tastes great! We ate this for lunch and leftovers during the week. I just couldn’t get enough of it. Comfort food at its best. One bite and you will be blown away! Whip up some garlic bread and a salad for a meal that is better than any restaurant.
How to Make Three Cheese Chicken Rosa Pasta Bake
This is very easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Boil the pasta in a large pot. Drain and set aside. Stir together chopped chicken, Four Cheese Alfredo sauce, tomato paste, sour cream, ricotta cheese, minced garlic cloves, eggs, grated parmesan cheese, parsley, and mozzarella cheese. Add cooked pasta and mix well. Transfer the pasta mixture to a baking dish. Sprinkle with more cheese and bake until bubbly. Garnish the pasta with some fresh basil.
Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
- To cut down on the prep time, I use a rotisserie chicken in this recipe.
- Rotisserie chickens are my secret weapon in the kitchen. They are PERFECT for casseroles like this one. We buy our chickens at Costco and pull the meat off and store it in freezer bags. I put half a chicken in each freezer bag. Half of a chicken will get you 2-½ to 3 cups of chopped chicken.
- I used penne pasta. Rigatoni, or ziti also work well.
- Feel free to add some onion, peppers, baby spinach, broccoli, or mushrooms to the casserole.
- Can I Make Chicken Pasta Bake in Advance? Yes! You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to bake. You may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time if baking it straight out of the refrigerator. I love to make this pasta casserole the night before baking. It makes dinner a breeze!
- Can I Freeze Chicken Pasta Casserole? Yes! Assemble the casserole and let it cool completely. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze.
- I typically freeze this casserole unbaked. When baking this casserole after freezing, thaw completely and bake as directed below. As with making this dish in advance, you may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time if baking it straight out of the refrigerator.
- If freezing this casserole baked, thaw completely and either reheat in the microwave or covered with aluminum foil in the oven until warm.
- This recipe makes A LOT of pasta. If you don’t need to feed a crowd, you can split the recipe between two pans. Bake one now and freeze one for later.
What to Serve with Chicken Rosa Pasta
I am still dreaming about how good this pasta casserole was. I am going to have to add it to the menu ASAP. It is just as good as the food at our favorite Italian restaurant. No joke! We love to serve this chicken casserole with a simple salad and some garlic bread. My stomach is growling thinking about eating this again! Here are a few of our favorite side dishes that go great with this easy pasta:
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Three Cheese Chicken Rosa Bake
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 1 (16-oz) package penne pasta
- 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat pulled and chopped (approximately 5 to 6 cups of chopped cooked chicken)
- 2 (15-oz) jars Four Cheese Alfredo sauce
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 (8-oz) container sour cream
- 1 (15-oz) container ricotta cheese
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.
- Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain.
- Stir together chopped chicken, Four Cheese Alfredo sauce, tomato paste, sour cream, ricotta cheese, garlic, eggs, ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, parsley, and 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Add cooked pasta and mix well.
- Pour pasta mixture into prepared pan. Top with remaining ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese and 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes or until bubbly.
Notes:
- The original recipe used Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa Sauce. The sauce has been discontinued. I changed the ingredients to use Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce and tomato paste.
- You can also use 3 packets of Knorr Parma Rosa Sauce made according to package directions.
- Can assemble casserole ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to bake. You may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time if baking straight from the refrigerator.
- Can use elbow macaroni instead of penne pasta.
- Can assemble casserole and freeze for later. To bake from frozen, thaw completely and bake as directed above.
Steph
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It’s like Chicken Alfredo and Baked Ziti had a beautiful baby! I used 2 extra tablespoons of tomato paste because I wanted more to.ato flavor. I somehow completely forgot to add the eggs, but that didn’t affect the taste. It was absolutely delicious! Thank you!
Just curious, would Vodka sauce be a good substitute?
Sounds good to me. Also, Knorr makes Parma Rosa packets. I find them at Target. You would need 3 packets prepared.
Love the Bertolli 4-Cheese Rosa sauce, if only I could find it! Used to use it with Trader Joe’s lobster ravioli regularly, nothing else tastes as good. 🙁 If anyone out there knows where to find it, let me know! I’d gladly buy a case!
This recipe looks delicious, will have to try with another sauce.
What other sauce would you recommend to replace the sauce you use in this recipe. I cannot find the Bertolli Four Cheese Pasta Sauce anywhere. Please advise as soon as possible. Thank You very much.
If you have to use Alfredo should you use the 4 cheese Alfredo?
Seeing other comments..I could only find 5 cheese Rosa and it was delicious. Not a fan of ricotta so substituted cottage cheese. I think it makes it creamer.
Your recipes are always a hit in our house.
Trish,
Where did you find a five-cheese rosa sauce? What brand?
Thanks!
I cannot find the Four Cheese Rosa Sauce, I saw you suggested using Alfredo sauce and adding some tomato paste or tomato sauce in with it, can you give me an idea of how much to add in?
I’ve just recently started doing a bit more cooking, so I’m not quite sure the correct amount to add it.
It would be up to you. Start with a tablespoon or two and see if that is something you like.
how to convert this for an Instant Pot?
I have never made this in the Instant Pot, but pasta typically takes 4 minutes to cook. You probably have to adjust the liquid to make it work.
Thank you for the suggestion I will have to try it
I cant find the bertolli rosa anywhere I was wondering if there was omething else I could use instead
You could use alfredo sauce and add some tomato paste or tomato sauce mixed in with it -?
I fixed it.
Could I use shredded parmesan cheese?
Sure!
Do you use the Red or Alfredo Four Cheese Rosa Sauce ?
This is what I used: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bertolli-Four-Cheese-Rosa-Pasta-Sauce-15-oz/15556073
Can I do this without the eggs?
man oh man – it's like lasagna but easy! i can't wait to try it!
Looks delicious except I'm not a fan of ricotta. If I leave out the ricotta, would it still work well or would I need to substitute something else in place of the ricotta?
you could try cottage cheese, I use them interchangeably in casseroles