Incredible Sausage Mushroom Pasta Bake

I wanted comfort food – pasta to be specific. But not the standard spaghetti and meatballs my husband favors. I wanted something gooey, filled with cheese, and baked.

I had sausage in the fridge, along with mushrooms, mozzarella and Parmesan; and all the other staple ingredients in my pantry. Even a half loaf of Italian bread in the freezer.

And so dinner was decided.

I choose rigatoni (it was in the pantry too) because it’s a good shaped for baked pasta dishes. I always have onions and garlic in the bin, and marinara sauce on the shelf. I also decided for this dish, I’d add cream cheese – something to make the sauce smooth and creamy.

I dislike having half boxes of things, so I cooked the entire box of rigatoni. It makes a lot, in case you’ve never done it. So rather than make one huge dish of pasta, which would be great for a crowd but far too much for just my husband and me, I decided to divide it up between two casseroles, and freeze one for a future meal. So I’m ready for the next dinner when I am running late, or just don’t feel like cooking.

While the pasta cooked, I made the sausage sauce in a large skillet. I cooked the pasta until just barely al dente – it will absorb more liquid from the sauce and finish cooking as it bakes.

Even half the recipe baked turned out to have enough leftovers for a lunch or two as well. And we liked it – but couldn’t finish it all! Just add a salad and Italian bread, and you’ve got a complete meal.

To freeze, wrap your dish up well with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Freeze before baking, although you could do it afterword as well I suppose. In fact, you could just make this is a large skillet on top of the stove and never bake it. But then you’ll miss having those crunchy bits of pasta and cheese on top.

Print

Sausage Mushroom Pasta Bake

A cheesy baked pasta with bits of sausage and mushrooms that only needs a salad and bread to accompany it for an easy dinner.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword baked pasta, baked pasta casserole, easy dinner, sausage and mushroom pasta
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 16 oz box rigatoni, ziti or other tube pasta
  • 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed sweet or spicy, your choice
  • 1 each onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 5 oz mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 8 oz package of cream cheese
  • 1 24 oz jar of marinara
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta according to box directions, stopping just short of being totally cooked. Drain once cooked.

  2. In a large deep skillet, break up the sausage into bite size pieces and brown slightly. Once it starts to sizzle, add in the onion, garlic and all the sliced mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms soften and the sausage is lightly browned.

  3. Add in the marinara sauce, and then the cream cheese, broken up in chunks so it will melt evenly. Once the cheese melts, turn off the heat and set aside until the pasta is cooked.

  4. In a very large bowl, put in the cooked rigatoni, then pour the sausage sauce over it. Stir to start to combine. Add in the cup of mozzarella cheese, and and parsley; stir everything until well combined.

  5. Place in either one large casserole dish or two medium casseroles. Sprinkle the tops with the Parmesan Cheese.

  6. Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes until bubbly and crispy edges form.

  7. Sprinkle with the freshly chopped/chiffonade basil just before serving.

Recipe Notes

If prepared ahead of time, keep in the refrigerator and add enough extra cooking time as needed to make it bubbling hot.

One casserole may be frozen for a later date.  Defrost in the fridge overnight, or bake, covered to start, for about an hour.