Cheesy Italian Sausage and Spinach Pasta Bake

This cheesy Italian sausage and spinach pasta bake recipe is easy to make, super cheesy, and extremely comforting! It's your ultimate weeknight dinner recipe and a great dinner party recipe that will wow your guests.

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this recipe
• Recipe Ingredients
• Kitchen Equipment
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Storage and Leftovers
• Expert Tips
• Alternative Ingredients
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Serving Suggestions
• Related Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

If you like this recipe, you're going to love this cheese tortellini and Italian sausage casserole too!

Looking for more pasta bake recipes? Then try this mac and cheese bake with bacon recipe, cheesy mozzarella and pesto tortellini pasta bake, spaghetti casserole with cream cheese, chicken and mushroom pasta bake, and mozzarella and ricotta cheese pasta bake too, cause they're also just as delicious and comforting!

This is one of my favourite weeknight dinner recipes to make when I don't want to put too much effort into dinner but also want something that tastes great! This is one of my go-to dinners because there's minimal front-end work to prep it, and the oven does all the heavy lifting!

I've tasted and tested this recipe many times to ensure it's perfect and that my friends and family will love it. Whenever I host dinner, I get so many compliments on how cheesy and delicious it is, and always have everyone asking me for the recipe!

Why you'll love this recipe

• Easy: This is a super simple recipe that doesn't require much effort to make at all!
• Quick: It's quick to assemble with just a few simple steps.
• Ultimate Comfort Food: There is nothing like having a comforting and hearty pasta dish slathered in tomato sauce and melted cheese on a cold day during the fall and winter. This pasta recipe will warm you right up and make you feel full and cozy!

Recipe Ingredients

• Rigatoni: This is similar to a baked ziti recipe, but instead of ziti noodles, we're using rigatoni because they're similar and often more accessible to people!
• Water: Since this is a dump and bake pasta recipe you'll need a couple cups of water to help the noodles cook properly while it's baking. Similar to how you would normally boil water on the stovetop to cook your noodles, we need liquid in the baking dish to bake the noodles in the oven.
• Tomato Sauce: For the tomato sauce, you can use store-bought marinara sauce or make your own tomato sauce recipe from scratch. Either will work and taste fabulous!
• Olive Oil: This is used to cook the sausage and ensure it doesn't stick to the pan.
• Sausage: This pasta casserole uses spicy Italian sausage, but you can use mild if you prefer! You'll either need ground sausage or a few sausages with the casing removed.
• Spinach: You can use frozen or fresh spinach, however we're using frozen here because it's easy to work with and cooks down quicker!
• Salt & Pepper: To enhance the overall flavor of the pasta dish, a pinch of salt and pepper are sprinkled in.
• Mozzarella: To top off this tasty sausage rigatoni pasta bake, it's topped with some melted mozzarella cheese for a deliciously cheesy bite.

See the recipe card below for the ingredient measurements. 

Kitchen Equipment

• Frying Pan: For cooking the sausage.
• 9x13 Baking Dish: For baking the pasta.
• Cheese Grater: For shredding the mozzarella cheese.
• Measuring Spoons and Cups: These are used to measure the ingredients.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit and spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook the sausage: Heat a pan on medium heat and add the olive oil and sausage. Cook the sausage until pale (about 5 minutes) while constantly breaking it up as it cooks.
3. Assemble and bake: Add and mix together the rigatoni, water, marinara, spinach, cooked sausage, and salt and pepper in the baking dish. Top with the mozzarella cheese and cover with tin foil and bake it on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Remove the tin foil and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly golden.

Storage and Leftovers

Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days covered with tin foil or in an airtight container. You can also freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Expert Tips

• Spray your tin foil. If you use tin foil to cover your baking dish, spray the bottom so the cheese doesn't stick to it when it melts!
• Shred your mozzarella. Shredding your own mozzarella is guaranteed to give you the cheesiest melted cheese ever (over the pre-shredded stuff!)
• Mix up your noodles. You can use whatever pasta you like best! Stringy pasta noodles like spaghetti or linguini might not be the best option, but others like penne, ziti, etc., will taste just as great!
• Make your own sauce. There's nothing wrong with some quick and easy jarred pasta sauce, but if you've got time and want this to taste extra special, make your own tomato sauce from scratch!

Alternative Ingredients

• Ricotta: Add a few heaping tablespoons of ricotta to make this pasta bake extra creamy.
• Ground Beef: Ground beef is a great substitute for the sausage if you want a hearty meat sauce!
• Parsley: Consider garnishing the pasta dish with chopped fresh parsley for some bright color and fresh flavor.

The alternative ingredients are just suggestions and have not been tested. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving Suggestions

Serve this with a delicious appetizer like classic tomato basil bruschetta or roasted cherry tomato bruschetta. This cheesy pasta casserole also tastes great paired with a light side salad and a fresh loaf of bread.

Related Recipes

• Cheese Tortellini and Sausage Casserole
• Penne Pasta Bake with Ricotta and Mozzarella
• Spaghetti Casserole with Cream Cheese
• Cheesy Mozzarella Pesto Tortellini Pasta Bake
• Cheesy Chicken and Mushroom Pasta Bake
• Mac and Cheese Bake with Bacon
• Recipe for Cherry Tomato Sauce Pasta
• Tomato Pasta Sauce from Scratch
• Italian Sausage and Potato Soup
• Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage

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