This Two Timin’ Pasta makes a quick & easy dinner the whole family will love. A yummy sausage stuffed pasta & sauce casserole, it serves as an easy dish for my week night menu. It gets bonus points because I don’t have to choose between sauces- it includes both marinara & alfredo. And who doesn’t want to add a lil somethin’ saucy into their weekly meal plan?!
I love my boys, I sure do, but boy sometimes do they test my patience. Seriously.
Every time, literally every time, I am on Facebook, Twitter– you name it– they’re all up in my messages and who I’m talking to.
Seriously! Nosey little buggers, lol.
They’re so worried about what I’m doing.
On the one hand I love them for their fierce loyalty to their Daddy.
On the other hand, are you just that nosy? Or do you really question my loyalty?
They may have had a rough start in life, but trust & believe Mama’s not going anywhere. Promise.
In honor of all that, I thought this recipe for Two Timin’ Pasta would be appropriate.
They smirked at the name (and the inspiration), but they gobbled up the results!
What’s The Name Really Mean- Why Call It Two Timin Pasta?
On top of the fun family reference, the two timin’ name actually refers to the recipe itself.
Most traditional saucy pasta dishes stick with a signature sauce, typically white or red. With this saucy casserole, we opted top up the flavor factor and use both. It turns out combining the two was actually a stroke of genius.
So it’s two timin’ since we’re essentially cheatin’ on our sauces- but the red tomato based sauce & the creamy alfredo combine to create a truly delectable blush sauce.
Blush sauces are actually really common, but they don’t seem to be as popular these days as they once were. One taste though, and you’ll be sold on bringing it back!
Two timin’ pasta is a super simple recipe to whip up, (as promised!) making it perfect for busy parents & busy schedules.
It also only uses a handful of ingredients- six to be exact, making it budget friendly too!
That means it’s already a huge win in my family recipe book, but the fact that it’s delicious too? It checks all the boxes and then some for me, and for so many other families I know.
Making A Baked Sausage & Marinara Alfredo Pasta- The Sauciest Of Pasta Casseroles
Like everything else with this recipe, throwing it together is easy and requires minimal planning. I’m looking at you (myself) and every other busy cook who forgets to swing by the grocery store or pull things out ahead of time.
To make this dish start with the basic elements- the meat and the pasta.
Saute your pound of sausage in a non stick skillet, stirring & breaking it up as it cooks. Once it’s cooked through and slightly crispy, drain it of any excess grease and then set the cooked meat aside.
The same goes for the pasta. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, according to the package instructions.
Once the pasta’s cooked, transfer it to a strainer to drain it of all water. Let cold water run over the pasta, gently stirring to cool it all completely.
Do not skip this step. It keeps the pasta from continuing to cook, which could turn it mushy, and also prevents it from sticking or clumping together. Once completely cooled, set it aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, add both the tomato based marinara sauce & the creamy white alfredo sauce. Whisk them together to evenly combined. Again, set aside.
In a separate large mixing bowl toss the cooked sausage, shredded mozzarella cheese, and the cooled pasta until evenly combined.
Be sure to stir so everything’s evenly coated. No pasta left behind here folks! Plus you want the meat evenly mixed in so there’s a bit in every bite.
Transfer the pasta mixture to a 9×13 inch baking dish, and use a spatula to spread it out evenly. Bake the two timin’ pasta casserole at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Remove the casserole from the oven, sprinkle the shredded Parmesan evenly out over top, and return it to the oven for another five minutes. Remove, let it rest for a minute or two (just long enough to allow the cheese to set), and scoop & serve.
TIPS & TRICKS For Making This Saucy Pasta Casserole Your Own
- The Meat: We feel that this is the perfect ratio for getting a bit of sausage in every bite, however if you like things meatier- you can easily double the sausage called for in the recipe.
- Substitutions: Don’t like ground sausage? Ground beef works too. So does ground turkey! You could even sub chopped rotisserie chicken. You can also skip the meat entirely and make it a vegetarian meal instead.
- The Sauce: Don’t like using store bought jarred sauces? Use homemade versions instead, especially this homemade marinara sauce.
- The Pasta: We’ve all been there, you don’t have that particular pasta on hand. No worries! We’ve used bow tie (farfalle), penne, ziti, and even elbow noodles with equal success.
If you need an extra cheesy dish, toss the Parmesan with an extra 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella before sprinkling it out over the casserole. It will give you that amazing cheese pull that true cheese lovers’ crave in all things.
You really can’t go wrong with this cheesy, saucy two timin’ pasta casserole. It checks all the boxes, and it’s a family favorite that was made to please everyone- the pickiest of eaters included!
Other Saucy Pasta Dishes You Might Also Enjoy
If you’ve tried this TWO TIMIN’ PASTA, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Two Timin' Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage, cooked & drained
- 1 lb pasta, cooked according to package directions & drained
- 1 15 oz jar alfredo sauce
- 1 24 oz jar marinara sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add & stir together the two sauces.
- Stir in the mozzarella cheese, sausage, and pasta, tossing everything to evenly combine.
- Transfer the pasta to a 9x13" baking dish, spread out evenly, and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the dish from the oven, sprinkle with the shredded Parmesan, and bake another 5 minutes.
Mmmm….I can totally see my boys loving this pasta dish and I love it because it’s a one dish meal. Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday!
It’s definitely family friendly, and always a hit with the kids at our house!
Too funny about the name of your recipe – but how appropriate. That’s nice your sons are interested in your blogging whether on Facebook or here. Sounds rich but good – I could easily eat a plate of this. Thanks for coming to Fiesta Friday!
This looks good! What kind of Italian sausage did you buy? How did you cook it? It looks crumbled in your picture how did you get it that way? Thanks!
Thank, Chris! I typically use ground Italian sausage, but you could also use whole sausages and just remove the meat from the casings. Cook it in a pan, just like you would ground beef, breaking it up as you go along into crumbles. Hope that helps!
Just saw this link over on The Country Cook. I could fall in love with this meal. Yum, yum, yum!!
I think she wanted to know what kind of Italian sausage, mild, hot, honey garlic etc? I’d like to know also.
Thank you
I typically use the sweet kind, but have used the spicy before. Both taste good!
OMG!! This is SO good!! I used Fresh Thyme Farmer’s Market homemade Chicken Hot Italian Sausage. Easy, peasy and delish!!! I have found that either turkey or chicken Italian Sausage isn’t as hot as pork! Also isn’t as greasy. Will totally keep this recipe and I’m sure it will become a favorite!
That thyme flavored chicken sausage sounds delish! It’s stayed on our family favorite list every since we first tried it.
can it be frozen.
It’s so quick to whip up, I’ve honestly never made it ahead of time so I haven’t needed to freeze it. In theory though, just like my lasagnas is should freeze fine. Let me know if you try it!
do you grease the dish??
I don’t, but if you prefer it’s ok to do so.
Did you cook the meat before adding it in the casserole dish? I’m not a huge fan of Italian sausage so I was going to do half sausage half ground beef.
Yes, the meat’s cooked and drained beforehand. A mixture of both would be tasty!
I made this exactly as the recipe states, just added a little minced garlic and red pepper flakes. My family, including three picky eaters, devoured it! I’ve made it a couple times already, and my son recently requested it again, saying he was craving it! So, tonight it is! 🙂 It is SO easy, quickly prepared, almost always have the ingredients on hand, and everyone loves it! Going into my favorites cookbook!
I am a baked pasta addict! I gave this recipe to my husband to make, and he didn’t change a thing. He used rigatoni. The proportions of sauce, meat, and cheese were perfect. It tasted like something from an Italian restaurant! Thanks for sharing.
Can you add veggies to it? I don’t want to ruin the cooking, if so, should it be like corn and green beans or cooked broccoli or mixed veggies? Please let me know ASAP lol, putting it together rt now, lol
I’ve never added veggies to this dish, just served them on the side. We’ve done steamed broccoli, green beans, and mixed veggies all as sides. If you add them in, please let me know how it turned out!
This is good but I knew I should have doubled the sausage. A pound of uncooked meat is pretty skimpy for a pound of pasta.
Do you cook the pasta first?
Yes. If you follow the directions, it does state that the pasta should be cooked according to the package directions before including it in the recipe 🙂
Can this be made as a freezer meal?
Absolutely! Assemble it as instructed, freeze, and just set it in the fridge the night before to let it thaw before cooking.
Added lots of extra seasonings, but still found it a bit bland. I make similar dishes using cream cheese and Parmesan with tomato sauce, which for me has a better flavor and texture. It felt like both the marinara and the Alfredo got lost in this.
Definitely made for an easy dinner though, and my kids liked it. But I would not make again.