Tuscan Spaghetti Casserole
A weeknight pasta bake that brings rustic Italian comfort.
There are so many incredible baked pastas out there… I mean, it’s a classic comfort food for a reason! But this one is a little different than your usual red sauce and pasta bake. Loaded with creamy tuscan flavors, it comes together in just 10 minutes of prep, and it’s sure to have your whole table asking for seconds. (Which means it’s the perfect thing to bring into your regular dinner rotation.) This Tuscan Spaghetti Casserole is the kind of dish that feels special enough for company but easy enough for a weeknight. You know we love those!
What Ingredients Do You Need for Tuscan Spaghetti Casserole?
The ingredient list is straightforward, but the flavors are anything but! You’ll need:
- Spaghetti. (The perfect base.)
- Butter.
- Bulk Italian sausage.
- A small onion.
- Sun-dried tomatoes.
- Garlic.
- Italian seasoning.
- All-purpose flour.
- Milk.
- Baby spinach.
- Mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- And fresh basil to finish it off.
What is bulk Italian sausage?
It’s Italian sausage that comes loose rather than in links — no casings to remove. You’ll find it near the ground beef at most grocery stores. If you can only find links, just squeeze the meat out of the casings before cooking. Just make sure you’re not buying links that are pre-cooked!
How Do You Make Tuscan Spaghetti Casserole?
One of the best things about this casserole is that the sauce comes together right in the same skillet you cook the sausage in, so there isn’t much cleanup and every bit of flavor stays in the pan. You work on the sauce while the pasta boils so the two are ready at the same time (meaning this doesn’t take you a lot of time). Here’s how it all comes together:
Get your pasta water boiling and then start making the sauce. Brown the Italian sausage in a large skillet with butter, then add the onion, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Once the onion softens, stir in the flour and cook for a minute before pouring in the milk. Let it simmer until it thickens up a bit.
From there, stir in the spinach until it wilts, then stir in half the mozzarella and all the parmesan. Add your just-cooked spaghetti and fresh basil right into the pot, give everything a good toss, and transfer it all to your baking dish.
Top with the remaining mozzarella and bake until the top is golden and the edges are bubbling. Let it rest for just a few minutes before serving — that’s always the hardest part!
The flavors here are so delicious — tangy sun-dried tomatoes, earthy spinach, zesty sausage, all backed by a velvety creamy sauce. Yum!
Tuscan Spaghetti Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 lb bulk Italian sausage
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups milk
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped, plus more for serving if desired
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 375°F and spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the spaghetti 1 minute less than package directions indicate. Drain and set aside when ready. While pasta cooks, work on the sauce:
- In a high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Cook until no longer pink, 5-7 minutes.
- Add onion, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion has started to soften, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour in milk while stirring constantly, then bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until sauce thickens, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach a handful at a time until just wilted. Stir in half of the mozzarella cheese and the parmesan.
- Add drained spaghetti to the pot, along with the basil. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Transfer to prepared baking dish, then top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake until top is golden and edges are bubbly, about 20 minutes.
- Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional basil for serving, if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Magic of Spice.