Description
This Slow Cooker Chicken Bacon Pasta is a comforting, hearty meal perfect for busy days. Tender chicken breasts are slow-cooked with savory spices, mushrooms, red onion, and bacon in a rich spaghetti sauce, then combined with parmesan cheese, fresh baby spinach, and perfectly cooked bow-tie pasta. It’s an easy, flavorful dish that requires minimal hands-on time and delivers warm, satisfying flavors in every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Protein
- 1½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 8 slices cut bacon, cooked
Vegetables and Herbs
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 2 cups sliced baby spinach
- ½ tsp. dried thyme
- ½ tsp. dried oregano
Seasonings
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
Other Ingredients
- 46 oz. Spaghetti sauce (two 23-oz. jars)
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, plus more for topping and serving
- 1 lb. cooked bow-tie pasta
Instructions
- Prepare and Add Ingredients to Slow Cooker: Place the chicken breasts at the bottom of the slow cooker. Season them evenly with salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme, and dried oregano. Add the diced red onion, sliced mushrooms, and cooked bacon on top. Pour the entire spaghetti sauce over all the ingredients to coat them thoroughly.
- Slow Cook the Mixture: Cover the slow cooker with its lid and set the temperature to HIGH. Cook the mixture for 4 hours undisturbed, allowing the chicken to become tender and absorb all the flavors from the sauce and seasonings.
- Shred and Combine: Once the cooking time is complete, use two forks to shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese and add the sliced baby spinach over the shredded chicken. Then add the cooked and drained bow-tie pasta. Gently stir everything together until all components are well combined and the spinach slightly wilts in the heat.
- Serve: Garnish with additional parmesan cheese on top if desired. Serve the slow cooker chicken bacon pasta warm for a cozy and filling meal.
Notes
- If you prefer a healthier alternative or need to avoid pork, substitute bacon with turkey bacon or vegan bacon options, or omit bacon entirely.
- While bow-tie pasta is suggested, feel free to use penne, fusilli, rotini, or other pasta shapes you like. Different pasta shapes provide varying textures and sauce coverage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1/8 of recipe)
- Calories: 470 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 720 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 105 mg
