You don’t even have to boil the pasta, brown the sausage, or sauté the vegetables for this dump-and-bake sausage noodle casserole! With smoked sausage, diced tomatoes, French fried onions, cheese, peas, and pasta, it’s a one-dish meal that makes weeknight dinners easy!
Table of Contents
If you love smoked sausage recipes as much as we do, be sure to try this one-pan smoked sausage and rice, this cheesy smoked sausage pasta with broccoli, sheet pan smoked sausage and potatoes, and this “country comfort” smoked sausage casserole, too!
Why You’ll Love this Smoked Sausage and Noodle Casserole
- Easy. This recipe takes advantage of my favorite dump-and-bake method to eliminate tedious prep work. There’s no need to boil the pasta in advance or to pre-cook the sausage or veggies. Instead, all of the ingredients mingle, share seasonings, and simmer together in one dish in the oven.
- Family-friendly. There are certain recipes that are just guaranteed to be a hit with the kids (and with the husband)! If it involves creamy noodles, I can throw just about anything else into the casserole and know that my boys will clean their plates.
- Versatile. The casserole is easily adaptable, so you can change up the ingredients to suit your family’s preferences or to use up whatever you have on hand. For instance, omit the peas, but add frozen corn, frozen diced carrots, fresh or thawed broccoli florets, or sliced fresh mushrooms. You can use andouille sausage (if you like it spicy), fully-cooked Italian sausage, or even hot dogs. If you don’t like cream of celery soup, swap it out for cream of mushroom or an extra can of cream of chicken soup instead. The options are endless!
Do you have to cook pasta before putting it in a casserole?
While most casserole recipes call for cooking the pasta before mixing it into the dish, this particular recipe is designed specifically for uncooked pasta. That means that you do not boil the noodles in a saucepan on the stovetop before adding them to the casserole dish.
Instead, the pasta cooks right in the oven with the rest of the ingredients. This requires extra liquid in the pan (since the pasta absorbs a lot of liquid as it cooks), and extra cooking time to make sure that the noodles are tender.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a creamy sausage noodle tomato casserole. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Condensed cream of celery soup and condensed cream of chicken soup: or use any combination of two condensed soup flavors that you prefer. I like the reduced-sodium or Healthy Request varieties in this recipe, since the sausage can be salty on its own.
- Milk and chicken broth or water: to thin the creamy sauce.
- Dried parsley, dried oregano, dried thyme, garlic powder, and onion powder: add earthy, savory flavor to the sauce.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: to enhance the flavors of the other ingredients in the dish.
- Crushed red pepper flakes: these are optional, but add a nice hint of spicy kick in the background.
- Smoked sausage: or sub with kielbasa, hot dogs, fully-cooked Italian sausage, or just about any other fully-cooked sausage that you enjoy.
- Canned petite-diced tomatoes: or use a can of regular diced tomatoes if that’s what’s available. Make sure that you grab the big 28-ounce can!
- Penne pasta: just the uncooked pasta — no need to boil it first.
- Fried onions: I like French’s brand crispy fried onions, but any similar variety will work.
- Cheese: Colby Jack cheese or cheddar cheese both work well here, but mozzarella cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, or another type of cheese is also great.
- Peas: stir the frozen peas into the pan at the very end, since they will heat through almost immediately.
How to Make this Creamy Sausage Noodle Casserole
This dump-and-bake sausage noodle casserole makes weeknight dinners easy! I’ve included the detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Whisk together the sauce and the seasoning.
- Stir in the tomatoes, sausage, uncooked pasta, some of the onions, and some of the cheese.
- Transfer to a greased casserole dish.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Stir the sausage mixture, add the peas, and sprinkle more cheese and onions on top.
- Bake for 5-10 more minutes, until the cheese melts and the onions are golden brown.
Serving Suggestions
Pair the easy sausage noodle casserole with any of these sides to round out the meal:
- Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, 4-Ingredient Butter Swim Biscuits, 7UP Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Pumpkin Spice Biscuits, Cheddar Biscuits with Chives and Bacon, or Drop Biscuits
- Cast Iron Cornbread, Sour Cream Cornbread, Honey Butter Cornbread, Fluffy Bakery-Style Cornbread Muffins, Broccoli Cornbread, Southern Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Sweet Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, or Corn Sticks
- Cranberry Muffins or Apple Muffins
- Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
- No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread, Cranberry Walnut No-Knead Bread, Crusty French Baguette, Soft Dinner Rolls, or Homemade Crescent Rolls
- Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Southern Caesar Salad, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, Caesar Salad, Marinated Vegetable Salad, or our favorite House Salad with Candied Pecans
- Fried Corn
- Southern Fried Apples, Baked Apple Slices, or Applesauce
- Roasted Asparagus or Sauteed Asparagus
- Amish Green Beans with Brown Butter or Southern-Style Green Beans
- Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower or Roasted Broccoli
- Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon or Roasted Root Vegetables
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Cranberry Sauce
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: You can assemble the pasta dish a few hours in advance, or even leave it covered in the refrigerator overnight before baking. The pasta will start to soften and absorb some of the liquid as it sits, so you may need to decrease the baking time slightly. You don’t want to overcook the casserole or you’ll end up with gummy, mushy pasta.
- Storage: This casserole is best enjoyed immediately from the oven. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The pasta will dry out a bit as it sits.
- I do not recommend freezing this casserole because pasta has a tendency to get gummy and mushy when thawed.
Recipe Variations
- Any variety of smoked sausage is fine (such as turkey sausage or beef sausage), or sub with a different type of fully-cooked sausage. Other good options include andouille sausage, kielbasa, hotdogs, fully-cooked Italian sausage, or spicy smoked sausage.
- Don’t have penne pasta? Substitute with other similar short pasta shapes such as rotini, rigatoni, or elbows. Just pick a pasta that has a similar cooking time as the penne (about 11-12 minutes recommended on the package directions) — otherwise you’ll need to adjust the casserole’s baking time in the oven.
- Use any variety of condensed soup that you like. For instance, substitute with organic condensed soup, homemade condensed soup, or with other flavors of condensed soup (such as a can of Cream of Mushroom soup).
- Try different vegetables. For instance, instead of frozen peas use frozen corn. You can also stir in some sliced fresh mushrooms, diced green pepper, sliced or grated zucchini, or broccoli florets at the beginning of the baking time.
- If you’re cooking for a smaller family, cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square pan (or a 2-quart casserole dish). The rest of the instructions remain the same.
Tips for the Best Smoked Sausage Pasta Casserole Recipe
- Total cooking time will vary depending on the type of pan that you use and on your individual oven. A glass or ceramic casserole dish will take longer than a metal pan, for instance. To know when your casserole is done, taste a bite of the pasta. The noodles should be tender and the sauce should be thick.
- Be careful not to overbake the casserole or the pasta will become mushy.
- Garnish the finished dish with fresh herbs (such as fresh parsley, fresh basil, or fresh thyme) for even more flavor.
- For a richer, creamier sauce, stir in ½ cup of room-temperature sour cream towards the end (at the same time that you stir in the peas).
- Make sure that you use the big 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes (not the smaller 14.5 ounce can).
More Dump-and-Bake Casseroles to Try
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Alfredo Casserole
45 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Ham Tetrazzini
1 hour hr
Tuscan Chicken Pasta (Dump-and-Bake!)
55 minutes mins
Looking for even more inspiration? Check out our vast collection of dump-and-bake recipes!
Dump-and-Bake Sausage Noodle Casserole
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour
The easiest pasta bake comes together in a creamy sauce with smoked sausage, noodles, cheese, French fried onions, and veggies!
Ingredients
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup (I prefer the Healthy Request or reduced-sodium varieties here)
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup (I prefer the Healthy Request or reduced-sodium varieties here)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup water or low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 (28 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, well drained
- 13-16 ounces smoked sausage or kielbasa, sliced into rounds
- 12 ounces (about 3 – 3 ½ cups) uncooked penne pasta
- 1 ½ cups crispy fried onions, divided (such as French's brand)
- 1 cup grated Colby Jack or cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh herbs or sliced green onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together condensed soups, milk, chicken broth, parsley, oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the diced tomatoes, smoked sausage, uncooked pasta, ½ cup of the fried onions, and ½ cup of the cheese.
- Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil and give everything a stir in the dish. At this point, check to make sure that the pasta is al dente (tender, but with a firm bite). If it’s still too hard, cover again and return to the oven until the pasta is al dente. Once the pasta is al dente, stir in the frozen peas, sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of onions and ½ cup of cheese over top.
- Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 5-10 more minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the cheese is melted on top. Garnish with sliced green onions or chopped fresh herbs and serve!
Notes
- Total cooking time will vary depending on the type of pan that you use and on your individual oven. A glass or ceramic casserole dish will take longer than a metal pan, for instance. To know when your casserole is done, taste a bite of the pasta. The noodles should be tender and the sauce should be thick.
- Be careful not to overbake the casserole or the pasta will become mushy.
- Garnish the finished dish with fresh herbs (such as fresh parsley, fresh basil, or fresh thyme) for even more flavor.
- For a richer, creamier sauce, stir in ½ cup of room-temperature sour cream towards the end (at the same time that you stir in the peas).
- Make sure that you use the big 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes (not the smaller 14.5 ounce can).
Nutrition
Serving: 1/8 of the casseroleCalories: 528kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 19gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 1040mgPotassium: 981mgFiber: 5gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 739IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 221mgIron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?
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