Healthy Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake is a quick and easy meal that’s ready in just 30 minutes and is full of creamy and cheesy flavor with just enough spice from the buffalo sauce!
Can I just say if I can’t make dinner in 30 minutes I am probably going to find a new recipe!? Being a mom has really shown me how precious time really is and I am definitely manifesting that these days.
Plus who wants to spend the entire night cooking when they get home from work? I want something that’s fast and easy, but also good ya know?
One reason I love making buffalo chicken recipes is that you can take the same ingredients and use them in so many different ways! This is good for those who always have chicken, buffalo sauce, and ranch on hand, which are most moms these days!
That being said, if you are looking to make some other recipes that have buffalo sauce, I would put my Cottage Cheese Buffalo Chicken Dip number one on the list, followed by my Buffalo Chicken & Cauliflower Rice Casserole.
I have even made Buffalo Tofu for my vegan and vegetarian friends! You may be thinking tofu is not for you, but don’t knock it until you try it!
It’s actually super delicious and packed full of protein, so it’s great for those nights when you want a meatless meal.
If you’re a vegetarian, you can simply omit the meat in this healthy buffalo chicken pasta bake to make it a vegetarian buffalo pasta!
Try using chickpea or lentil pasta to increase the protein and fiber. This will also ensure the recipe is gluten-free as well. Banza chickpea pasta is definitely my favorite gluten-free pasta brand and they have tons of pasta shapes.
Ingredients Needed
penne pasta – you will want to cook the noodles ahead of time. For a gluten free option you can use Banza pasta.
shredded chicken – make it homemade (boneless skinless chicken breasts) or take the easy way out and grab a rotisserie chicken from the store
cottage cheese – I am blending my cottage cheese, I know it’s an extra step, but totally worth it! If you want to skip that step you can. Be sure to use 4% as it is much more flavorful and thicker than fat-free. 🙂
plain greek yogurt – FAGE is my favorite to bake and cook with.
ranch seasoning mix – You can also buy a container of ranch seasoning. I keep this in our pantry because I love making ranch potatoes, sprinkling it on popcorn, and making my own greek yogurt ranch dressing with it!
Frank’s hot sauce – Make sure it’s the classic hot sauce and not any of their other flavors!
mozzarella and sharp cheddar cheese – I am using mozzarella cheese and sharp cheddar cheese for this buffalo chicken pasta bake but you can use any of your favorite cheeses. Sometimes I top this pasta bake with blue cheese crumbles, but I know that’s a hit-or-miss flavor with people!
Green onions – I chop these and sprinkle them on top for garnishing
How to Make Healthy Buffalo Chicken Pasta Casserole
Prep a 9×13 casserole dish by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray and preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Cook pasta according to the instructions on the package. Then drain and set to the side.
While the pasta is cooking, add the cottage cheese to a blender and blend until it’s smooth and creamy. You don’t have to do this, but I love it this way! If you don’t want it blended, you can leave the cottage cheese as is.
Combine the greek yogurt, ranch seasoning, Frank’s hot sauce, cottage cheese, and half of both the cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Mix together well.
Add the cooked pasta and shredded chicken to the cheese mixture and stir well.
Transfer to the baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.
Bake until the cheese has melted or for about 15 minutes.
Garnish your pasta bake with green onions and serve! Some also like to drizzle blue cheese dressing or ranch over top.
Tips for Making and Storing
- Cook the pasta noodles al dente so they are not overly mushy because they are going to cook a little more while it’s baking.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for later!
- For a low carb option, you can use cauliflower rice instead.
- For a gluten-free option, use chickpea pasta or your favorite gluten-free noodles.
- To make this recipe vegetarian, omit the chicken. Option to use a bean-based pasta to increase the protein you will miss from the chicken, but this is a high protein pasta recipe regardless of the meat!
- The Greek yogurt takes the place of sour cream for a healthier, and more protein packed option.
- If you have leftover chicken you can use it instead of getting rotisserie or cooking fresh.
- My quick hack for shredded chicken is using a hand mixer!
This cheesy buffalo chicken pasta bake is absolutely perfect for our all too frequent busy weeknights. Anything in casserole form is seriously a winner in my house! We also love serving it on game day!
I cannot wait to get your feedback on my newest easy buffalo chicken pasta recipe! So head over to Instagram and tag me once you make it!
Common FAQs
This all comes down to personal preference, but I find a blend of mozzarella and sharp cheddar is the best combination for buffalo chicken.
I also add cottage cheese to keep it high in protein and I love the creaminess it brings. Cottage cheese is a great replacement for cream cheese in pasta dishes like this buffalo pasta bake.
If you’re not a fan of the texture of cottage cheese, try blending it! I love whipping it in my blender for a rich and creamy high protein addition to pasta!
Simply add the cottage cheese to your blender or food processor and blend on high for 90 seconds. It will resemble the texture of greek yogurt.
No. You want to make sure you are using buffalo sauce in this recipe. Buffalo sauce is much richer and smoother than regular hot sauce
More Healthy Buffalo Chicken Recipes
- Cottage Cheese Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Crock Pot & Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken (5 Ingredients!)
- Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Rice Casserole
- Buffalo Cauliflower Pasta Sauce
- Buffalo Tofu
PIN ME FOR LATER
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 4 cups penne pasta cooked
- 2 cups shredded chicken cooked
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese blended (optional to blend but recommended!)
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 packet ranch seasoning mix
- 1/3 cup Frank’s hot sauce
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
For Topping
- 1/4 cup green onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cook your pasta as directed. While pasta cooks, blend your cottage cheese in a blender until smooth texture is reached. (This step is optional but recommended! You can leave cottage cheese as is.)
- In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, greek yogurt, ranch seasoning, hot sauce, and half of both cheeses. Mix well.
- Add the cooked pasta and shredded chicken to the sauce mixture. Stir until chicken and pasta are coated.
- Pour the pasta mixture into the casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly across the top of the pasta.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- After cooking, top with green onions.
- Enjoy!
I love Buffalo chicken pasta but I am on a weight loss journey so I thought I had to go without it, but after having this I am so happy to add this to my rotation of dinners.
This is awesome and perfect food bulk meal prep. Just a couple things. My blender was on the fritz so I didn’t blend the cottage cheese. I think I preferred that because it gave the illusion of blue cheese crumbles lol. Also, 4 cups of pasta might be a bit too much. I made 4 cups but only used probably about 3-3 1/2. But either way…amazing recipe. Thank you!!
Made this tonight. Really really good. The whole family liked it.
Great! 5-star for the very detail recipe.