Italian Pasta Casserole

Name: Italian Pasta Casserole
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings.
Ingredients: 2 cups uncooked spiral pasta; 1/2 pound lean ground beef (90% lean); 1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 1 garlic clove, minced; 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained; 1/3 cup tomato paste; 3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning; 1/2 teaspoon chili powder; 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme; 1/8 teaspoon pepper; 2 ounces sliced turkey pepperoni; 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

All the traditional flavors abound in this dish reminiscent of lasagna. “This is a zippy and hearty recipe that our family and guests really like.”—Denise Rasmussen, Salina, Kansas

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked spiral pasta
1/2 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/3 cup tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 ounces sliced turkey pepperoni
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, crumble beef and sausage into a large skillet; add onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
Drain pasta; stir in meat mixture and pepperoni. Transfer half of the pasta mixture to a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with half of the cheese; repeat layers.
Cover and bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Nutrition Facts

1 cup: 335 calories, 11g fat (4g saturated fat), 64mg cholesterol, 752mg sodium, 33g carbohydrate (8g sugars, 4g fiber), 26g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 lean meat, 1-1/2 fat.

Originally published as Denise's Italian Pasta Casserole in Healthy Cooking October/November 2008

Reviews

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Average Rating:

mrs._white

Feb 21, 2017

This was delicious! Made a few minor changes, used a 12 oz. can of homemade canned tomatoes and a 12 oz. can of homemade canned basil & garlic tomato sauce as well as basil and garlic tomato paste. It was a winner!
julesinmd

Feb 28, 2015

I made this recipe with only minor changes--I used an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce instead of tomato paste and a little bit of leftover spaghetti sauce. We really enjoyed it and my husband said to "move it up on the list." The casserole was very filling and had a lot of flavor.
aswijg

Apr 27, 2012

Disappointing. Had high hopes. First, thought the sauce to pasta ratio wrong. Too little pasta for amount of sauce. Then, even with all the spices found it quite bland. I should have kicked them up, but always try on the first shot to adhere strictly to the recipe. This one wasn't even appealing enough for me to adjust for personal taste and try again.
jacko1

Apr 19, 2012

my husband and I really liked this dish. I like the fact that you can tweek it to what you have on hand and it still is good.
rconeh

Apr 16, 2012

This is WONDERFUL. Thanks for sharing. The only thing I did differently was to chop the sausage instead of peeling and crumble . . . the reason was simply just to have a variety of textures. My husband said, "definitely add this to your collection." Took a plate to my best buddy and she gave it two thumbs up. Thanks again!!!
pankuch1605

Apr 15, 2012

All i can say is hoe awesome this was! It will be one recipe my family requests . We just love anything with ground meat in it. And this recipe did not let me down. Perfect all the way around. You can adjust most of the ingredients in it to suite your taste. I always increase the chilli powder as we love spicy food. and spicy is good for you as it has been proven to wored of certain cancers.
barlows

Apr 15, 2012

To make this heart healthy I would not include the ground beef or the pepperoni
jenskiddo

Apr 15, 2012

Anxious to try this recipe
FuzzLB

Apr 22, 2010

I cut this recipe in half and made it for 2 and it was very good.
andij68

Apr 12, 2010

My 3 kids all liked this esp. since I called it pizza pasta :) I left out the gr. beef, used a bit more sausage and 3 oz turkey pep. because that's what I had on hand. I also left out the chili powder and it tasted great. Easy too. will definitely make this again.