Pasta Casserole

About this Recipe

The invention of this pasta casserole recipe came out of a desire for lasagna, a lack of lasagna noodles and a desire to make dinner with what was in the cupboard rather than running out to the grocery store. No lasagna noodles meant digging into the back corners of the pantry to find these big rigatoni noodles. Pasta dishes bring with it memories of Italy, cannelloni, ravioli and stuffed noodles in general. Casseroles are one of my favorite meals. Casserole recipes seem like a lazy person meal, but in fact, they take some thinking and preparation. What casseroles are great for is that they are recipes that you can prepare ahead of time. This means you can just have it baking when guests come. There is nothing greater when you have dinner guests than having your main dish prepared and ready to pull out of the oven and serve. It is way more fun to be visiting with friends and family than doing a huge food prep while everyone else is relaxing.

Grandmother’s Tips for Pasta Casserole Recipe:

1. The pasta must be cooled in the refrigerator to form the texture that allows easy handling of each rigatoni noodle to stand it vertically.

2. We cooled overnight, but you could plan to do it all in one day if you give the cooked pasta at least 2 hours in the refrigerator before using.

3. When you do cook your pasta be sure to reserve one cup of the boiled water and let it cool to room temperature. Once cooled to room temperature it can be stirred into the cold noodles. Did you know that this pasta water binds the sauce to the pasta and improves the flavor of the sauce!

4. Check out tips on How to Cook Pasta

5. The flavors of this dish combine together so well, they are delicious served with a simple quick easy and light salad like this Cucumber Tomato Layered Salad Recipe.

6. We used our homemade Tomato Sauce Recipe for this particular recipe, but you could also use your favorite canned tomato sauce from the grocery store.

7. A second option from Grandmother's kitchen for a homemade sauce would be our Simple Tomato Mushroom Sauce Recipe but you would have to add some additional sauce to it as well for this recipe.


Ingredients

(Print)

Makes: A deep 8x10 baking dish - 6 Servings

8 cups pre-cooked rigatoni - cooled - Save one cup of boiled water to add to the pasta once cooled

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 cup zucchini, quartered then thinly sliced

1 cup fresh mushrooms, cut into smallish pieces

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup frozen chopped spinach, defrosted

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, finely grated

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, finely grated

3 cups tomato sauce - divided - Hunts original tomato sauce has nice flavor We use our Tomato Sauce Recipe

Optional:Food grade disposable gloves to handle the pasta.

Directions

A pasta casserole could be made with any shape of pasta and just done in layers, but if you want to create this fun version with the rigatoni noodles standing upright, first pre-cook the rigatoni.

1. The pasta must be cooled in the refrigerator to form the firmer texture that allows easy handling of each rigatoni noodle to stand it vertically. We cooled overnight, but you could plan to do it all in one day if you give the cooked pasta at least 2 hours in the refrigerator before using.One the pasta is cold pour the 1 cup of reserves pasta water into the noodle bowl and gently mix in with the noodles.

2. It makes for a fun presentation using the rigatoni noodles and is not that time consuming. We used food grade disposable gloves to quickly handle and stand each noodle upright. We had prepared 8 cups of cooked noodles but only needed 7 cups to make our noodle layer. The noodle amount will depend on the shape of the baking dish you use.

3. When you are ready to make the dish preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

4. In a bowl, stir the defrosted chopped spinach together with the ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese. Set aside

5. Prepare the ingredients. Cut the zucchini into quarters lengthwise, then into thin slices. Cut the mushrooms into small pieces.

6. Pour two tablespoons olive oil into a skillet over medium high heat. Add the zucchini, mushrooms and salt. Cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally..

7. Add 2 cups tomato sauce to the zucchini, mushroom mixture. Simmer the sauce for another 10 minutes. The reserved one cup of tomato sauce is going to be used for the top layer. Transfer the tomato zucchini mushroom sauce mixture from the skillet to the baking dish. This is the bottom layer.

8. You can do with clean hands or wear food grade disposable gloves to place each rigatoni into the baking dish in a standing up position.

9. Once they are all in position, gently press down with your fingertips to secure the pasta into position. Next spoon the spinach mixture onto the noodles and make even.

10. Spoon the reserved one cup of tomato sauce evenly on the top.

11. Sprinkle the finely grated cheeses evenly to the top.

12. Put on the lid and place into the preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes.

13. Remove and let cool for a full 20 minutes before you cut into it. Like lasagna if you cut it freshly out of the oven it will all run together and be difficult to cut and serve.

ENJOY!

Return to this Pasta Casserole recipe or check out more recipes at Grandmother's Kitchen

Pasta casserole recipes are a great option when you need an easy, yummy, and filling dish with tons of flavour. This pasta casserole recipe is a tasty, hearty and healthy casserole with lots of great vegetables in it and some cheese to give it some zesty flavour. Casserole recipes are super popular especially for busy families, so it's always a great idea to have a number of different casserole recipes on hand, so you have some variety.

The word casserole is from the French word casse, which means pan. It's what they called their deep pans that were used to cook food in the oven and then to also use as a serving dish. So the cookware itself is called a casserole dish or casserole pan, and the meal itself is also called a casserole.

Elmire Jolicoeur invented the modern form of the casserole in 1866, so the casserole recipes we enjoy today are relatively new. The first casserole recipes included pounded rice that was filled with a savoury meat mixture but then evolved into a more deconstructed version of the dish as years went on.

These easy casserole recipes became common in homes all over the United States in the 20th century during the 1950s when new cookware started to be sold. In this pasta salad recipe, you have the pasta, of course, which is rigatoni in this case, but you could use any other type of small noodle. You can even try using gluten-free pasta if you or someone who'll be eating this pasta salad is gluten sensitive. A nice kind of gluten free pasta if you can find it to try is kamut pasta. It seems to hold a similar texture to regular pasta.

You also have all the great cheese in the recipe too including ricotta and mozzarella cheese with a mild flavour and parmesan and cheddar cheese which have a sharper flavour. Enjoy this healthy casserole recipe as a side dish or as your entire meal with a salad on the side.



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