Easy Tomato Alfredo Pasta Bake
This Easy Tomato Alfredo Pasta Bake has pasta tossed with creamy alfredo sauce and topped with a sausage-filled marinara, and melty mozzarella and parmesan cheese. It's a shortcut supper that you'll make again and again!
Servings: 8
Estimated Calories: 609
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 16 ounces cellentani pasta (corkscrews), or the pasta shape of your choice
- 1 (15-ounce) jar roasted garlic alfredo sauce, or regular alfredo sauce
- 1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
- 1 (24 or 32-ounce) jar marinara sauce, I use a 32-ounce jar
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- salt, to taste
- fresh chopped parsley or basil, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spray a 9x13x2-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the package directions but for 1 minute less than al dente; drain.The pasta will continue to cook in the oven, so slightly undercooking the pasta will help prevent it from overcooking and becoming mushy.Generously salt the pasta cooking water so the pasta tastes good!
- Put the drained pasta back in the pot and add the alfredo sauce; stir until well-combined.
- While the pasta is cooking, cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until it is cooked through and starting to brown lightly; drain off any excess grease.
- Add the marinara sauce to the cooked sausage in the skillet; stir to combine. Heat through, stirring occasionally.
- Place the pasta/alfredo mixture into the prepared baking dish, spreading it evenly out across the bottom of the dish.
- Top the pasta with the sausage/marinara sauce mixture, spreading it out evenly over the pasta.
- Evenly sprinkle the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses over the sauce.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is melted.
- Remove the pasta bake from the oven and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
- Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley or basil over the entire casserole or over each individual serving, if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- To make the most efficient use of your time, cook the sausage and add the marinara sauce while waiting for the pasta water to boil/while the pasta is cooking.
- Other pasta shapes, such as spaghetti, fettuccini, linguine, farfalle, rotini, penne, ziti, and rigatoni, all work well in this dish.
- If you can't find bulk Italian sausage, you can use links; just remove the meat from the casings before cooking.
- Please refer to the post for additional recipe tips, substitutions and variations, serving suggestions, and information on making ahead, storing, freezing, and reheating.
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