Easy Pasta Casserole

An easy pasta casserole is the perfect weeknight meal or freezer friendly recipe to make and save for later.

Course Casseroles, Pasta

Cuisine Casserole, Main Dish, Pasta

Keyword creamy pasta casserole, pasta casserole, turkey pasta casserole

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 40

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 495kcal

Author Shannah @ Just Us Four

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 11x13 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.

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.