Home ยป Recipes ยป Pasta

Pasta Casserole

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.

An easy pasta casserole is the perfect weeknight meal or freezer friendly recipe to make and save for later. Always a family favorite, pasta casserole is perfect for any occasion.

Do you ever have one of those nights where you just have no idea what to make for dinner?ย  Or you are way to busy to actually go in and cook something for dinner?ย  Yeah, I have those all.the.time.ย  This pasta casserole is the perfect freezer friendly meal for you to double one night when making dinner and store away for one of those impossible dinner nights. Or make it Sunday as part of meal prep and portion it out when you are too tired to cook.

Easy Pasta Casserole

Another perk to this casserole: it is a great way to sneak veggies into picky kids.  Start with your favorite sauce and they won’t even realize the casserole has pumpkin in it. You can also sneak in zucchini too if you want.

Easy Pasta Casserole

Pasta Casserole Ingredients

  • Ground Meat – We use ground turkey for ours but it is equally good with ground beef, ground Italian sausage or even without meat for a vegetarian friendly meal like Meatless Monday.
  • Pumpkin Puree – Be sure to grab 100% pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
  • Spaghetti Sauce – Use your favorite jarred sauce or make your own.
  • Cream Cheese
  • Sour Cream
  • Small Curd Cottage Cheese
  • Elbow Pasta
  • Shredded Cheese
Easy pasta Casserole - Meat

This recipe uses elbow pasta but you can substitute another pasta like shells or small penne to change it up. I typically just use whatever I have in the pantry.

Easy Pasta Casserole

The combination of cottage cheese, cream cheese and sour cream is fantastic when mixed in to make a super creamy pasta casserole. Plus, the cottage cheese is great for added protein. I top mine with a blend of double cheddar but you could easily substitute mozzarella as well.

Easy Pasta Casserole

What To Serve with Pasta Casserole

There are lot of options for side dishes or things to serve with this yummy pasta recipe. Here are a few ideas:

More Great Pasta Recipes

Easy Pasta Casserole

Easy Pasta Casserole

An easy pasta casserole is the perfect weeknight meal or freezer friendly recipe to make and save for later.
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Shannah @ Just Us Four

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 14 ounces spaghetti sauce
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 8 ounces small curd cottage cheese
  • 16 ounces elbow pasta
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 11×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup of spaghetti sauce into the bottom of the dish. Set aside.
    14 ounces spaghetti sauce
  • Heat a large pot of water to boiling over high heat. Salt the water and cook your pasta in salted, boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
    16 ounces elbow pasta
  • In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground turkey, stirring to crumble.
    1 pound ground turkey
  • In a large bowl, mix cream cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese. Stir in pasta. Pour into prepared baking dish.
    8 ounces cream cheese, 1/4 cup sour cream, 8 ounces small curd cottage cheese
  • In a separate bowl, combine remaining spaghetti sauce, pumpkin puree and turkey. Stir well to combine. Pour over the pasta mixture. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.
    1 cup pumpkin puree, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray and then use it cover the casserole {this just keeps the cheese from sticking}. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Notes

  • To freeze: Assemble and then wrap in plastic wrap. Top with foil for extra protection. Thaw before cooking. Remove plastic wrap and re-cover with foil. Cook at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, covered with foil. Then, remove the foil and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
    If you forget to thaw it, just cook covered for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Then, uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.
  • You can substitute ground beef or ground Italian for the ground turkey but you may need to drain off the excess grease that develops while cooking. 

Nutrition

Calories: 495kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 542mg | Potassium: 591mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 5602IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 187mg | Iron: 2mg
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a comment below, snap a photo and tag it #MySuburbanKitchen on Instagram, or pin it to your Pinterest account!
sig

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

13 Comments

  1. This sounds really delicious and easy. Will definitely have to try.
    Also, I help give back to my community in Suffolk, VA by helping once a month with our Food Pantry at Magnolia UMC. It is such a blessing to help people who are less fortunate than I am and to know they will not go hungry for at least 1 week.

  2. Pumpkin Puree…that sounds amazing!!!!! I’m going to have to try this! ๐Ÿ™‚

    – Brooke –

  3. Your recipe looks SO delicious..I must try it! lol..Thanks for sharing!

    I actually volunteer at our local soup kitchen..I also have a passion for helping the homeless & I even gave out chocolate to strangers at Christmas lol..I believe in paying it forward because there is always someone worse off than myself.

    Thank you for the chance to win! That’s a nice prize pack!

    Joey

    1. *OOPS, forgot my email address as you requested:

      joeycanwin(at)gmail(dot)com

      thanks & sorry about that!

  4. Pingback: Barilla Pasta Sauce, Wooden Spoon, Pasta Bowl and More Giveaway - Giveaway Promote
  5. The recipe looks so good, I am definitely going to try it this weekend! As a Human Services major at California State University Fullerton I have always been drawn to helping people. I have had the opportunity to intern at homeless shelters and residential drug rehab programs during my educational journey. This fall I am going to be interning at a sober living for HIV positive woman in recovery, I feel so blessed to be a part of their journey!

  6. My husband and I pick up leftover food from local grocery stores and restaurants and deliver it to our local food pantry. I love to do it because they helped out my family last year when my husband was out of work. tessa2000(at)mail.com

  7. I’m a book seller & every few months I take a bunch & donate them to the GoodWill & the local library. ๐Ÿ™‚
    ashley.lynn.irby(at)gmail(dot)com