Caprese Casserole

For a vegetarian dinner idea that your family “will ask for all the time” (at least according to one fan who adores this “great recipe”), consider this summery pasta casserole. Each serving of the small shell pasta bake sneaks in 1 cup of spinach, ¼ cup each of tomatoes and roasted red peppers, and enough chickpeas, cheese, and briny olives to satisfy. Finish the baked pasta just like you would a Caprese salad, with a drizzle of balsamic reduction.

Dump and Bake Chicken Alfredo

“I think dump and bake pasta dishes are my new favorite thing,” one BHG reader says, to which we say, “same.” “How simple and tasty!” This low-effort, high-reward pasta casserole comes together in a mere 10 minutes, thanks to a jar of Alfredo sauce, leftover or rotisserie chicken, and the fact that the pasta (rotini works well here) cooks right alongside the other ingredients in the baking dish—no boiling water required.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

Chicken bacon ranch sandwiches are one of our go-to orders when we grab lunch at certain popular deli chains. But the savory, creamy combo is far too tasty to reserve for lunch alone, so we translated the same concept into a dinner-worthy pasta casserole. To sneak a little extra nutrition into the creamy ranch dressing-flavored rotini and chicken filling, we suggest adding a full bag of frozen broccoli and plenty of sliced mushrooms. Once the golden-brown baked pasta is crowned with crumbled bacon, diced tomatoes, and sliced green onions, even picky eaters won’t be able to resist.

Million Dollar Spaghetti

Prepare to dive into your new favorite mash-up meal. This million dollar pasta casserole, aptly named since it tastes like a million bucks, features the flavors of lasagna and a spaghetti dinner all in a single dish. Fans rave that this “quick, comforting, yummy crowd-pleasing meal” works well with or without meat and with any noodle cut you crave.

Tuscan Tuna Mac Casserole

Let’s keep the mash-up fun going with this pasta casserole that combines canned tuna casserole with mac and cheese, and takes both on a trip to Northern Italy. Fresh tomato slices, a handful of fresh basil, and an aromatic Mediterranean herb blend (in the pasta mixture and the crunchy breadcrumb topping) help take your taste buds on a trip to Tuscany.

Tortellini and Garden Vegetable Bake

Whether you’re sharing it at a potluck, are hosting a large family gathering, or simply have a family with some hearty appetites, this colorful pasta casserole should be in your repertoire. It’s made in a single 9- x 13-inch pan, yet yields a whopping 12 main-dish portions. Plus, the creamy cheese tortellini and chicken casserole can put your surplus healthy farmers market vegetables like cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, mushrooms, and fresh herbs to stellar use.

Classic Lasagna

True, we call this a classic. But with the foolproof pasta casserole formula as a guide, you can go your own way and customize it to align with your preferences. Opt for sausage, ground beef, or turkey to stir into the red wine-spiked tomato sauce, or follow our lead to make a luscious white lasagna with bechamel sauce instead. If you’re seeking a meatless meal, scroll to our vegetable lasagna variation. Any path you choose, the results are “perfect and delicious,” one five-star reviewer says.

Test Kitchen Tip: Get a head start on dinner prep by assembling this lasagna up to 24 hours ahead. Simply refrigerate the unbaked pasta casserole, then bake for 60 minutes and dinner is done.

Eggplant-Beef Pasta Bake

If you’re craving both eggplant Parm and penne with meat sauce, you need not choose one or the other. This easy, vegetable-boosted ground beef pasta casserole delivers on both of those promises. Adding 4 cups of chopped eggplant to the herb-infused tomato sauce allows you to stretch 8 ounces of meat and make it feel ample enough for 6 entrée servings.

One-Pot Giardiniera-Pepperoni Pasta

One-pot pastas are easy to prepare and easy to clean up after, and if we’re talking about this pizza-inspired option, they sure are easy to love, too. A Dutch oven and a heat-safe spatula is all you need to bring the zippy pasta casserole to the table. Seek out hot and spicy pepperoni and hot giardiniera, then add a pinch (or more) of crushed red pepper flakes, to help cut through the richness of the cheese and pasta. 

Dump and Bake Manicotti

Can we let you in on our secret to make a far-easier, much-less-messy riff on the stuffed manicotti pasta casserole concept? We tested and perfected this dump-and-bake casserole with string cheese instead of a ricotta filling. Simply stuff each uncooked manicotti tube with one string cheese from your kiddo’s brown bag stash (you’ll want 14 total), then place them in a baking dish. Top with beef or chicken broth, layer of meaty marinara sauce, and cheese. The string cheese will melt as the pasta cooks to perfection under the layer of garlicky sauce and the topping of melty Italian cheese.

Cheesy Italian Meatball Casserole

A few store-bought shortcuts make this ultra-cheesy dinner one of the easiest pasta casserole recipes on our site. Stock up on a box of pasta, a jar of pasta sauce, a can of tomato sauce, and a bag of frozen meatballs. Then all you need to finish the comfort food dinner is cheese…and plenty of it. Ricotta, grated Parmesan, and shredded mozzarella make each scoop rich enough that no one will guess that you didn’t fully DIY.

Four-Cheese Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

Speaking of copious amounts of cheese, this baked mac and cheese tastes decadent and so much better than its boxed competition. Semisoft garlic and herb cheese (goat cheese would be a terrific substitute), cheddar, mozzarella, and Muenster enrobe each elbow. The cheese pulls and cozy flavors that result do a great job at disguising the full pound of mashed butternut squash hiding in the sauce.

Indian Spiced Chicken Casserole

Break out of your dinner rut with this untraditional but totally delicious pasta casserole. Garlic-chile paste, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, and salty, tangy paneer cheese lend global flavor to vermicelli and your choice of refrigerated chicken breast strips, rotisserie, or leftover chicken. 

Test Kitchen Tip: To make this a well-balanced meal in one dish, we suggest adding two packages of frozen spinach. After thawing them, transfer the leaves to a clean kitchen towel to wring out as much of the moisture as possible.

Beef Stroganoff Casserole

This beefy pasta casserole is savory, saucy, and a cinch to make. Look for a package of beef roast au jus in the refrigerator section of your grocery store, then doctor it up with chopped mushrooms, onion, garlic, and a paprika-seasoned cream sauce. A couple spoonfuls of tomato paste amp up the umami factor even more. Toss that with cooked campanelle (a noodle that resembles a cone with ruffled edges) or penne for a creation that could totally qualify as the photo next to the “comfort food” entry in the encyclopedia.