Crock Pot Pasta Casserole

Hearty sausage, savory sauce, tender pasta, and plenty of cheese make this Crock Pot Pasta Casserole an easy, family-friendly comfort food dinner.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian Inspired, Southern

Keyword crock-pot-pasta-casserole, pasta-casserole-recipes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 4

Stand time 5

Total Time 4 15

Servings servings

Calories 410kcal

Ingredients

1 lb mild or spicy Italian sausage
1 medium onion finely diced
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
16 slices pepperoni
2 24 oz jars basil, garlic, oregano marinara sauce OR your favorite
2 cups low sodium beef stock or beef broth
2 1/2 cups pasta with ridges (about 2/3 of a 16 oz box) i.e. rigatoni, penne etc.
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided use
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese divided use, plus additional for serving
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp dry Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 8 oz ricotta cheese optional
2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley

Instructions

Spray the crock of a 6 quart or similar size slow cooker with cooking spray, or line with a crockpot liner.
Sauce: In a skillet, brown sausage and onion in olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook just until the sausage has browned it doesn't have to be cooked through. Break sausage into bite size chunks. Drain fat, then arrange on bottom of slow cooker. Cover with pepperoni slices.
To the slow cooker add marinara sauce, broth, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and 3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese. Mix the seasonings into the sauce trying not to disturb the sausage. Lock lid in place, simmer on low for 4-6 hours. (Or on high for 2-3 hours)
Pasta: Cook pasta per directions on box in salted water until al dente. Uncover crock pot and add pasta, 1 cup shredded cheese and ricotta, if using.
Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes then sprinkle top of the pasta with reserved 1 cup shredded cheese. Let stand with lid offset just until cheese melts.
Garnish with reserved 1 Tbsp Parmesan and fresh parsley and serve.
Please note: At the end of cooking you can thin the sauce by adding additional beef stock or pasta cooking water. Likewise, you can thicken it using tomato paste.
Oven Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain well, add to a mixing bowl.
Cook Italian sausage with onion in olive oil per the recipe, until no pink remains. Drain fat.
To the pasta add sausage, marinara sauce, garlic salt, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. (Omit beef broth for oven version)
Add optional 8 ounce ricotta, if using.
Pour over pasta and sausage mixing until well coated. Pour half into baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup shredded mozzarella.
Arrange pepperoni slices over cheese, then top with remaining pasta.Sprinkle top with reserved 1 cup mozzarella cheese and Parmesan.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
Garnish with parsley and serve.

Notes

Protein - This recipe can be adapted using ground sausage, ground beef, ground turkey or chicken sausage. Cook, crumble and add to the crockpot in place of Italian sausage to turn it into a meat sauce.
Adjust Seasonings - When doing so, you may need to adjust the seasonings adding more as needed since this recipe was developed using Italian sausage. That means that it already includes seasonings such as fennel and red pepper flakes if it's spicy.
Spaghetti Sauce - Choose a flavorful marinara sauce and brand that you already enjoy. This is a great place to personalize the flavors!
Pasta - The best pasta to use for this recipe is a cut tubular pasta, bow tie pasta or jumbo elbow macaroni. Spaghetti or fettuccine doesn't do quite as well.
Al Dente Pasta - When cooking the pasta, follow the directions boiling in salted water just until al dente. It will continue to cook in the pasta sauce so, you will want it to maintain a good texture and not over cook.
Garlic Clove - You can add minced garlic to the onion and sausages.
Vegetables - You can add one cup of fresh mushrooms or diced zucchini to the sauce to add another layer of flavor.
Thicken or Thin the Sauce - At the end of cooking, you can thin the sauce using additional beef stock or pasta water. Likewise, you can thicken the sauce using tomato paste.

Nutrition