Leftover Spaghetti Sauce Pasta Casserole

A quick pasta casserole for an easy weeknight dinner made with leftover spaghetti sauce, leftover cooked pasta, veggies, and a melty mozzarella cheese and crumbly parmesan bread crumb topping.

4.38 from 16 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

COURSE Main Course

CUISINE Casserole, Italian, Pasta

SERVINGS

Calories 299 kcal

Equipment

Casserole Dish

Foil

Non-Stick Cooking Spray

Ingredients

4 to 5 cups Spaghetti Sauce - I used leftover homemade beef spaghetti sauce but any kind works, such as marinara.
3 or 4 cups Pasta - Already Cooked or Leftover Cooked Pasta - Your Favorite Short Pasta - Cooked
1 cup Shredded Mozarella cheese - or enough to coat the surface evenly
⅛ cup Ground Parmesan
⅛ cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs
1 cup Broccoli florets - Already cooked / or your favorite green veggie to mix in - cooked
1 to 2 tbsp Olive oil - or dots of butter for moisture

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl combine bread crumbs and grated/ground parmesan cheese with a spoon and set aside. In an oven-safe casserole dish, ladle half of your leftover spaghetti sauce at the bottom to create a sauce layer.
If desired, top the sauce with a thin layer of broccoli florets (or your favorite half-cooked green vegetable. It will finish cooking in the oven). Sprinkle cooked pasta over the broccoli or vegetable layer, if using. Give this layer a drizzle of olive oil or dot with bits of small cubed butter to add richness and moisture, if desired.
Top the pasta with remaining leftover spaghetti sauce in an even layer to coat and cover the pasta as best as possible. Sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella cheese. Take a sheet of foil and spray it thoroughly with non-stick cooking spray such as pam. Tightly cover the casserole with the greased sheet of aluminum foil and heat through in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.
When 25 minutes of cook time is up, remove the sheet of foil and continue cooking for another 10 minutes uncovered. Cook only until shredded mozzarella cheese is just evenly melted and juices are bubbling.
Now top everything off with the parmesan cheese and bread crumb mixture you mixed together earlier. Sprinkle in an even uniform layer and turn the broiler on LOW.
Brown the top cheesy parmesan crumb layer of your casserole until just golden or lightly brown and cheese is melted and bubbly. Anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. {See notes about using the broiler below}

Notes

***Remember, the broiler browns super fast! Stay close to the oven and check the casserole after 3 or 4 minutes to make sure the toppings don't burn! The browning using the broiler happens quite fast...

Nutrition

Calories: 299kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 12gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 728mgPotassium: 535mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 713IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 121mgIron: 2mg

KEYWORD beef pasta casserole, best pasta casserole recipes, casserole, easy casserole ideas, easy family dinner ideas, easy pasta casserole, healthy pasta casserole, leftover casserole, leftover pasta in fridge, leftover pasta with sauce, leftover penne pasta recipes, leftover recipes, leftover spaghetti casserole, spaghetti sauce recipes