Farfalle Bolognese Pasta Bake Casserole
Mom’s Farfalle Bolognese Pasta Bake recipe is a richly flavored, satisfying dish that’s perfect for a cozy dinner. After all, nothing says comfort food quite like a warm, hearty pasta casserole. This long time family favorite (over 50 years!) combines farfalle pasta with a meaty bolognese sauce, tender spinach, sour cream - and, of course, cheese. Not only is it super delicious, this pasta casserole is easy to prepare ahead of time, and can be frozen.
Servings: 10 to 12 servings
Calories: 429kcal
Ingredients
Bolognese Sauce
- 1/2 pound Italian pork sausage
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
- 3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1/4 teaspoon savory
Pasta Casserole
- 8 to 10 ounces farfalle bow tie pasta
- 20 ounces spinach 2 packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Bolognese Sauce
- Crumble sausage and ground beef in a large nonstick skillet and cook over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink, stirring and breaking up meat into small pieces.
- Add onion and garlic and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until onion is soft.
- Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, red wine, water, and seasonings (rosemary through savory). Bring to a boil; immediately reduce to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pasta Casserole
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, reducing cook time by 2 minutes (it will still be somewhat firm). Drain.
- Mix cooked pasta with Bolognese sauce.
- Spread half of pasta-Bolognese mixture over the bottom of a 2 1/2 to 3-quart casserole dish.
- In a medium bowl, mix together spinach and sour cream. Dot half on top of pasta-Bolognese mixture; using spoon, spread spinach mixture to make an even layer.
- Sprinkle with half of the cheese.
- Repeat the layers, ending with the remaining cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 50 minutes or until heated through and lightly browned on top.
Notes
Make ahead: Can be prepared but not baked up to 24 hours in advance, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before baking. Can also be well-wrapped and frozen, either baked or unbaked. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Note: This recipe was originally published in my cookbook "A Well-Seasoned Kitchen®."
Nutrition
Calories: 429kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 812mg | Potassium: 975mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 6185IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 310mg | Iron: 4mg