🍂🌻 Chili Champions & Backyard Cooks 🌻🍂🍁 Chuckwagon Fall Recipe of the Day — Thursday, September 17, 2026🍗🎃 Harvest Chicken & Pumpkin Alfredo Bake with Bacon and Crispy Parmesan Topping 🥓🧀

🍗🎃 Harvest Chicken & Pumpkin Alfredo Bake with Bacon and Crispy Parmesan Topping 🥓🧀

Good morning, folks! 🤠🍂

Happy Thursday! Since we're getting closer and closer to the first official day of fall, I thought we'd bring a little more pumpkin into the kitchen—but we're keeping it SAVORY! 🎃

Today's Harvest Chicken & Pumpkin Alfredo Bake combines tender chicken, smoky bacon, pasta, spinach, and a creamy garlic-Parmesan pumpkin Alfredo sauce. Then we're covering the whole thing with mozzarella and a buttery Parmesan topping before baking it until golden and bubbly.

If someone in your family says, "I don't like pumpkin," don't tell them what's in it until they've tried a bite! 😄 The pumpkin adds richness and creaminess without making the dish taste like pumpkin pie.

🍗 Chicken & Pasta

• 1 lb penne or rigatoni pasta

• 2½ cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded

• 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

• 2 cups fresh baby spinach

• 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

🎃 Savory Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce

• 4 tablespoons butter

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

• 2 cups whole milk

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1 cup 100% pumpkin purée — not pumpkin pie filling

• 1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• ½ teaspoon rubbed sage

• ½ teaspoon dried thyme

• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• Salt to taste

🧀 Crispy Parmesan Topping

• ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs

• ½ cup grated Parmesan

• 3 tablespoons melted butter

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

🔥 Let's Get Cooking!

1️⃣ Cook that pasta.Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Cook the pasta about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain and set aside.

We want it slightly firm because it'll continue cooking in the oven.

2️⃣ Start the Alfredo. 🧄Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

Sprinkle in the flour and whisk for about 1 minute.

3️⃣ Make it creamy.Slowly whisk in the milk and heavy cream.

Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce begins to thicken.

4️⃣ Bring on the pumpkin! 🎃Reduce the heat and whisk in the pumpkin purée.

Add Parmesan, sage, thyme, smoked paprika, nutmeg, black pepper, and salt.

Stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.

5️⃣ Put it all together.In a large bowl, combine the pasta, chicken, spinach, about ¾ of the bacon, and pumpkin Alfredo sauce.

Transfer everything to a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.

6️⃣ Make it cheesy! 🧀Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the casserole.

Mix the panko, Parmesan, melted butter, garlic powder, and parsley. Sprinkle it over the cheese.

Finish with the remaining bacon.

7️⃣ Bake it!Bake uncovered for approximately 20–25 minutes, until the casserole is hot and bubbling around the edges and the topping is golden.

If you're using freshly cooked chicken, the casserole should be heated through to 165°F before serving.

Let it rest for about 5 minutes.

Then grab that big serving spoon! 😋

⭐ MawMaw's Chuckwagon Secret

🎃 Pumpkin isn't just for sweets!

Pumpkin purée adds body and creaminess to sauces, soups, chili, and casseroles.

But remember:

100% pumpkin purée and pumpkin pie filling are NOT the same thing!

Pumpkin pie filling already contains sugar and spices—and that's definitely not what we want in our Alfredo. 😄

One more secret: save about ½ cup of your pasta water before draining. If your sauce gets too thick, a splash of that starchy water will loosen it beautifully.

🍽️ Serve It Up With

🥦 Garlic-roasted broccoli🫘 Bacon-seasoned green beans🥗 Apple-cranberry harvest salad🥖 Warm garlic bread🍎 Sweet tea or cold apple cider

🍂 And for dessert?

🍎🍁 Maple Apple Crisp Cheesecake Cups

Layers of cinnamon apples, creamy cheesecake filling, buttery oat crumble, and a drizzle of maple caramel.

Little cups mean we can have two, right? 😄❤️

💜 Thursday Chuckwagon Encouragement

As the seasons begin to change, I'm reminded that change isn't always something to fear.

Sometimes God closes one chapter because He's preparing us for another.

We may not understand why something changed. We may not have chosen it. And we may not know exactly what comes next.

But we can know this:

God hasn't changed.

The same God who carried us through yesterday will be with us today and tomorrow.

So when life starts changing around you, hold tightly to the One who never does. ❤️

📖 Scripture for Today

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."

— Hebrews 13:8 (KJV)

🎃 Thursday Table Question

Which SAVORY pumpkin dish would you be willing to try?

🎃 Pumpkin Alfredo🌶️ Pumpkin chili🥣 Pumpkin soup🧀 Pumpkin mac & cheese🍗 Pumpkin chicken casserole😄 Nope—I'm keeping my pumpkin in pie!

👇 Tell us in the comments! And if you're cooking something good today, share your recipe or a picture with our Chili Champions & Backyard Cooks family. We love seeing what's cooking in everybody's kitchen!

🍂🤠 Happy Thursday, Friends!

May your kitchen be warm, your supper be delicious, and your heart find peace knowing that even when seasons change, God never does.

Faith ⭐ Family ⭐ Friends ⭐ Food ⭐ Memories ❤️🍁🎃