Cheesy Italian Sausage and Spinach Pasta Bake

Name: Cheesy Italian Sausage and Spinach Pasta Bake
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: Olive Oil: 2 tablespoons; Italian Sausage: 1 pound ground or approx. 4 sausages removed from its casing; Rigatoni: 1 pound; Water: 2 cups; Marinara: 5 cups (approx. 2 jars) or make your own tomato sauce; Frozen Spinach: 2 cups; Salt: 1/2 teaspoon; Pepper: 1/4 teaspoon; Mozzarella Cheese, shredded: 3 cups; Parmesan Cheese: optional for serving

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe· 5 from 1 review

This cheesy Italian sausage and spinach pasta bake recipe is easy to make, super cheesy, and extremely comforting! It's your ultimate dump and bake weeknight dinner recipe and a great dinner party recipe that will wow your guests. Our mac and cheese bake with bacon recipe, and our cheesy mozzarella and pesto tortellini pasta bake are also just as cozy and comforting!

Cheesy Italian sausage and spinach pasta bake in a white dish with a wooden spoon in it.

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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
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Related Recipes
💬 Comments

Why you'll love this recipe

Easy: This is a super simple dump and bake pasta recipe that doesn't require much effort to make at all!
Quick: This rigatoni sausage pasta bake is 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 sausage and spinach pasta bake 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

Prepare: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit and spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
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.
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

What to serve with pasta bake?

This sausage pasta bake tastes delicious on its own but would also pair great with a side caesar salad, some garlic bread, and some fudgy chocolate cookies for dessert!

Do you boil the pasta for pasta bake?

No, you do not need to boil the pasta before baking it with this recipe. There is enough liquid from the sauce and water to cook the noodles to al dente while it bakes.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this tasty pasta bake 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.

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