Macaroni Casserole (No-Boil, Straightforward Baked Pasta Dinner)

This straightforward no-boil macaroni casserole is made with floor turkey and greens, with the pasta cooking proper within the sauce. Easy to prep, comforting, and minimal cleanup.

Straightforward Macaroni Casserole

This straightforward, no-boil Macaroni Casserole is a longtime favourite for a cause. As an alternative of cooking the pasta individually, the macaroni bakes proper within the dish with the sauce and water, absorbing taste because it cooks. The result’s a comfy, comforting casserole with fewer steps and fewer cleanup—no additional pot required. It’s the identical streamlined technique I take advantage of in my Sausage Macaroni Casseroleand it’s good for busy nights once you need one thing heat, easy, and satisfying.

Why This Recipe Works

I come from the varsity of cooking pasta in loads of water, so when somebody kindly shared this recipe with me over a decade in the past, I gained’t lie, I used to be skeptical! However I beloved the end result, and since then I’ve made it many instances, tweaking it to my style. We find it irresistible!

• Household-friendly: Nice for teenagers and even sneaks in some veggies!
• One-pan comfort: No must boil the macaroni individually. It bakes in the identical dish as the whole lot else.
• Straightforward to make forward and bake proper earlier than dinner. It reheats properly, too!

The way to Make Straightforward Macaroni Casserole

After making the tomato sauce with turkey and greens, mix the whole lot with the raw pasta in a dish and bake till heat and tacky. See the recipe card on the backside for printable instructions.

1. Brown the bottom turkey in a nonstick skillet. Season with salt, then break it into smaller items because it cooks. Switch to a plate.
2. Sauté the greens: Add the oil, then prepare dinner the onion, bell pepper, celery, and carrots till tender.
3. Mix the whole lot: Add the turkey to the greens together with the mushrooms, diced tomatoes, marinara, water, salt, and Italian seasoning.
4. Simmer: Deliver the skillet to a boil, scale back the warmth, and simmer for 20 minutes. Style the sauce to verify the flavour; add extra salt or Italian seasoning if wanted.
5. Assemble the macaroni casserole: Spoon the turkey combination right into a 9-by- 13-inch pan to cowl the underside. Then layer with the raw macaroni, the remaining sauce, and mozzarella.
6. Bake: Cowl the dish with foil and bake at 350°F for 50 to 55 minutes. Let it relaxation for quarter-hour earlier than serving.

Variations

• Meat choices: Swap turkey for floor hen or sirloin. You might additionally use candy or spicy Italian turkey sausage.Marinara Sauce: Save time and use your favourite jarred sauce.
• Vegetarian macaroni casserole: Skip the turkey and add extra veggies.
• Don’t like mushrooms? Omit them. Be happy so as to add extra of one other vegetable or strive one thing new, equivalent to chopped zucchini, yellow squash, or eggplant.
• Swap water with hen broth for extra taste or hen bone broth for additional protein.
• No Italian seasoning? Season the casserole with dried oregano, parsley, thyme, or a mixture of all three. You might additionally use onion and garlic powders.
• Make it spicy: Use a spicy marinara or add crushed crimson pepper flakes.
• Pasta: Use any small pasta form, equivalent to ditilini, or mini shells. It’s also possible to use common pasta, which cooks sooner than entire wheat, so verify it round 30 to 40 minutes.
• Can I take advantage of cooked pasta? Should you want to boil the macaroni individually, omit the water and bake the casserole for 25 minutes, or till heated by way of.
• Dairy-free pasta: Skip the cheese or use a plant-based different.
• Wash even fewer dishes. Brown the turkey and sauté the greens in a Dutch oven. After the sauce simmers, stir within the pasta, prime with cheese, and bake in the identical pot.

Correct Storage

• Can I make this baked macaroni casserole forward of time? If you wish to assemble it early, put together it by way of step 8. Cowl the dish with foil and refrigerate for as much as 24 hours. Whereas the oven preheats, let it sit at room temperature, then bake as instructed.
• Refrigerate leftover baked pasta for as much as 4 days.
• Not feeding many individuals? Halve this recipe and bake it in a 9-by-9-inch baking dish to serve 4.
• The way to freeze after baking: Let the casserole cool earlier than freezing. For particular person servings for future lunches, retailer the pasta in 1.5-cup glass containers. Alternatively, freeze half in a bigger dish for a future household dinner. Leftovers will maintain for as much as 3 months within the freezer.
• The way to thaw: Place the dish within the fridge the day earlier than consuming. Then microwave or bake at 350°F till heat.

For extra dinner concepts utilizing macaroni, try these 5 scrumptious pasta recipes to encourage your subsequent meal!