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    Home » Budget Recipes

    Sausage Noodle Casserole, like Mac & Cheese, but Better

    Published: Oct 21, 2017 · Modified: Jun 19, 2021 by Jessica Fisher

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    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, please see our disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Do you crave something like mac and cheese only a little meatier? This Sausage Noodle Casserole is just the ticket. Glorified mac and cheese, full of comfort and love, dotted with spicy bits of sausage and juicy peppers.

    Wondering what to serve with mac and cheese? This dish is great with a simple Caesar Salad or stir up a batch of Easy Garlic Green Beans.

    9x13 dish of Sausage Noodle Casserole this …

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    Casseroles are some of my favorite things to prepare for dinner. Not only are they hearty, but they freeze well, bake up beautifully, and leave only one main dish to wash.

    If you play your cards right, you can even sneak any amount of nutrition into a casserole while the kids and spouse aren’t looking. Mushrooms, onions, and peppers? Oh yeah, they hide very well in casseroles.

    This Sausage Noodle Casserole has gone over extremely well at my house. It’s got all the homey comforts of macaroni and cheese, but extra oomph from the spicy sausage, veggies, and rich sauce. My kids keep asking for me to make it again and again.

    How to make this sausage noodle casserole

    So basically, this is a glorified mac and cheese, which isn’t all that complex, except for one thing. I do insist that you use Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup to prepare it. The homemade sauce really does take it over the top. A canned substitute just won’t do it. So, while you’re making the sauce, make extra so you can make several batches of this Sausage Noodle Casserole.

    Trust me.

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
    2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Rinse and drain.
    3. In a large skillet, cook the sausage links until cooked through and lightly browned. Remove them from the pan. Once they are cool enough to handle, slice them thinly.
    4. Saute the pepper, onion, mushrooms, and garlic in the drippings. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
    5. In a large bowl, combine the soup and pesto. Whisk to combine.
    6. Stir in the cooked noodles, sausages, and vegetables as well as the sundried tomatoes and 2 cups of the cheese. Spoon this mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
    7. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly

    What kind of noodles are best for this sausage noodle casserole?

    I like to use a short pasta – like a corkscrew pasta or penne. This type of pasta is best because it soaks up the homemade sauce.

    Of course you can use what you have or what is on sale.

    Can I use turkey sausage?

    You absolutely can. Turkey sausage will make this dish a bit leaner as well. 

    Sausage Noodle Casserole with a spoon in it

    How I make this good and cheap:

    This Sausage Noodle Casserole is pretty economical by virtue of its being a simple pasta dish. Here are some of the strategies I use to make this recipe even more affordable:

    • Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale! When I see a great price on pasta, I buy a lot of it. We almost always have a stockpile of noodles in the pantry. Bell peppers and Italian sausage go on sale often, so I load up when I can.
    • Shop at your cheapest stores. This may vary based on where you live and how close you are to great stores. For me, Costco and ALDI are the best game in town, even though I have to drive a town over to get to them.
    • A little dab will do ya. Sundried tomatoes and pesto are packed with flavor so you don’t need to use a lot.

    Money-Saving Tip

    Remember you can freeze cheese that you won’t use right away. Package shredded or crumbled cheeses in portion sizes so you can whip up recipes in a matter of minutes.

    Tools I use to make this recipe easy:

    This is a pretty straight-forward dish. You don’t need any fancy equipment to cook pasta! However, having some good basic kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs. Here are the tools that I like to use in this recipe.

    This post contains affiliate links which provide a means for me to earn fees linking to Amazon and other affiliate sites.

    • large stockpot – Mine is a Kitchenaid that I’ve had for 14 years!
    • collander – We just bought this one this year to replace a broken plastic one.
    • large pasta bowl – I have this one and love it!
    • plastic cutting board – I have several: blue for veggies; white for meats
    • Ergo chef chef’s knife – some of my favorite knives
    pan of sausage noodle casserole

    Sausage Noodle Casserole

    Do you crave something like mac and cheese only a little meatier? This Sausage Noodle Casserole is just the ticket. Glorified mac and cheese, full of comfort and love, dotted with spicy bits of sausage and juicy peppers.
    4.67 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 573kcal
    Author: Jessica Fisher

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb penne pasta or other short noodle
    • 19 oz hot Italian sausage links
    • 1 bell pepper (any color) any color, cored, seeded, and chopped
    • 1 onion chopped
    • 8 oz mushrooms (sliced)
    • 2 clove garlic peeled and sliced
    • salt
    • black pepper
    • 4 cup Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
    • 2 tablespoon pesto
    • ¼ cup sundried tomatoes (julienned) drained if packed in oil
    • 3 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
    • In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Rinse and drain.
    • In a large skillet, cook the sausage links until cooked through and lightly browned. Remove them from the pan. Once they are cool enough to handle, slice them thinly.
    • Saute the pepper, onion, mushrooms, and garlic in the drippings. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
    • In a large bowl, combine the soup and pesto. Whisk to combine.
    • Stir in the cooked pasta, sausages, and vegetables as well as the sundried tomatoes and 2 cups of the cheese. Spoon this mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
    • Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly

    Notes

    You can substitute turkey sausage to make this dish a bit leaner

    Nutrition

    Calories: 573kcal | Carbohydrates: 45.2g | Protein: 27.3g | Fat: 31.3g | Saturated Fat: 9.8g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 1467mg | Potassium: 560mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 5.2mg
    Tried this recipe?Tell us what you think! Your reviews help us develop better recipes and give newcomers the confidence to try your favorites. Scroll down to leave a starred comment.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kelly

      March 28, 2023 at 8:30 pm

      5 stars
      This was dinner tonight, with a few modifications in accordance with the GCE system. I didn’t go buy ingredients I didn’t have, just used what I did. Fresh tomatoes in place of sun dried, extra cheese and milk because I didn’t have chicken stock for the homemade cream of chicken soup, the addition of spinach because I like it, and I don’t like mushrooms or pesto. 🙂 It’s super delicious though! I’ve made what I call Italian mac and cheese in the past, but I’ve never thought to use Italian sausage in it. That puts it over the top!

      Reply
    2. Lynn from NC Outer Banks

      April 11, 2020 at 4:52 pm

      4 stars
      This was delicious and my DH pronounced it a “keeper” . I already had pretty much everything (except mushrooms) I needed in my pantry. I even had homemade pesto in the freezer. Perfect for these strange quarantine times. Thanks for the recipe Jessica.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        June 02, 2020 at 1:00 pm

        Isn’t it wonderful when a recipe includes everything you already have? Love it!

        Reply
    3. Sandi

      October 24, 2017 at 8:07 am

      As this looks like it is baked after everything is prepared, I presume the “30 minutes cook time” refers to how long it is in the oven? I’ve got a couple mild and hot sausages already cooked and hanging out in the fridge to be used so this could be a way to use them up.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        December 03, 2017 at 2:33 pm

        My apologies for the delay in replying. The last month has taken me by storm. Yes, the cook time refers to oven baking time. I usually quantify prep cooking under prep time.

        Reply
    4. Deb

      October 24, 2017 at 4:15 am

      This sounds amazing! How long do we bake it, please? (Step 7 is missing at the time of this comment.) Thanks!!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        October 24, 2017 at 8:48 pm

        Sorry about that. It’s fixed now. Thanks for your help!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Jessica! I'm a 4x cookbook author and 6x mom. I know what it is to be in a hurry and on a budget. I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter what's on their plate. I've been featured on Good Morning America, PBS News Hour, and NBC.

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