Winter Buffalo Casserole–Instant Pot pasta bake with tender chicken, penne, sweet butternut squash spirals, buffalo sauce and ranch seasoning, all melted together with cream cheese and Italian blend cheese for a creamy and slightly spicy dinner.
Winter Buffalo Casserole
Why “Winter Buffalo Casserole”? The butternut squash is a total fall/winter thing, and it’s honestly genius in here. It adds this little bit of sweetness and you’re getting veggies without even trying. Win-win. The whole vibe is just warm and cozy and perfect for when you’re freezing this winter. It’s a dump and go dinner which is always my favorite. It’s like buffalo dip meets mac and cheese meets butternut squash.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Chicken Broth–or water and Better than Bouillon chicken base
- Penne–or cavatappi or bowtie pasta
- Chicken Tenderloins–or boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into 1 inch cubes
- Kosher Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Frozen Butternut Squash Veggie Spirals–or cubed butternut squash
- Buffalo Sauce–or hot sauce mixed with melted butter
- Dry Ranch Dressing Mix–I use Hidden Valley brand, big container from Costco
- Cream Cheese–or Neufchâtel cheese
- Shredded Italian Style Blend Cheese–or mozzarella and parmesan
- Diced Green Onion–or chopped chives
Steps
Pour broth into Instant Pot. Sprinkle in the penne. Place chicken evenly on top. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Add butternut squash on top, drizzle the buffalo sauce on top, sprinkle the ranch dressing mix on top. Add in the cream cheese.
Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
Stir in the cheese.
Scoop onto plates and top with green onions.
Notes/Tips
- Serve with a green salad.
- Swap buffalo sauce for mild wing sauce if you want less heat.
- Add cooked bacon crumbles if you want a buffalo-chicken-dip feel.
- Try swapping the butternut squash for cauliflower florets.
- I used my 4 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 6 or 8 quart pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with ranch dressing mix are Instant Pot Mashed Ranch Cauliflower and Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pierogi.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Winter Buffalo Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
Instant Pot pasta bake with tender chicken, penne, sweet butternut squash spirals, buffalo sauce and ranch seasoning, all melted together with cream cheese and Italian blend cheese for a creamy and slightly spicy dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 6 oz penne
- 16 oz chicken tenderloins (frozen or fresh)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 (12 oz) package frozen butternut squash veggie spirals
- 1/4 cup buffalo sauce
- 2 Tbsp dry ranch dressing mix
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded Italian style blend cheese
- Diced green onion, for topping
Instructions
- Pour broth into Instant Pot. Sprinkle in the penne. Place chicken evenly on top. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Add butternut squash on top, drizzle the buffalo sauce on top, sprinkle the ranch dressing mix on top. Add in the cream cheese.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir in the cheese.
- Scoop onto plates and top with green onions.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
More Instant Pot buffalo recipes…
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Shredded chicken coated with buffalo sauce and topped with blue cheese crumbles is wrapped up in crisp lettuce leaves. You can make these flavorful lettuce wraps with just 4 ingredients and a few minutes in your electric pressure cooker.
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Chili
A creamy white bean chicken chili that is flavored with buffalo sauce and fire roasted tomatoes. It’s basically the soup version of buffalo chicken dip.
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
A seriously addictive, 3-ingredient buffalo chicken dip made in your electric pressure cooker. A perfect party food!
Instant Pot Buffalo Wings
Super flavorful and tender chicken wings with minimal effort!
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
2