Carbonara Pasta Casserole Recipe

On busy nights, one of my favorite things to do for dinner is a one dish casserole.  Casseroles mean less dirty dishes, less preparation, and less time, all of which are awesome when Nate has a report due, Nikoletta needs help with handwriting, Eva is asking for me to listen to her read out loud, Ryan is confused about his algebra….you get the point. 🙂

Just because it’s a one dish meal doesn’t mean that is has to be bland.  Simple does not have to mean boring.  Tonight I put together a delicious carbonara pasta casserole that took less than 20 minutes to prepare, and was ready and on the table in just 40 minutes, from start to finish.

Traditional Italian carbonara is made with eggs, cheese, bacon and black pepper, and of course pasta.  I tweaked that a bit and added in some veggies and skipped the eggs in favor of a ricotta to help hold the casserole together better.  It was really delicious, and all of the kids just gobbled it right up!  I hope your family enjoys it as much as we did!

Carbonara Pasta Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pound of short pasta noodles
1/4 cup Country Crock spread
1 cup thin sliced red onion
1 cup bacon bits
1/2 cup chopped roasted red pepper
1 bag of baby spinach
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup ricotta
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs grated Pecorino Romano
2 Tbs grated Parmesan
2 tsp black pepper
1/2 Tbs salt
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend

Directions:

1.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook pasta, drain and set aside once finished.
2.  Preheat oven to 350.
3.  Melt 1/4 cup Country Crock spread over medium heat in a large saucepan.
4.  Add in sliced onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft.
5.  Add in bacon bits and red pepper to onions and cook for another 2 minutes.
6.  Turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the eye and fold in the spinach to wilt (about a minute)
7.  Remove from heat completely and mix in cooked pasta.
8.  Add in tomatoes, ricotta, milk, pecorino, parmesan, salt and pepper.
9.  Pour into a baking dish and top with Italian cheese blend.
10. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
11.  Set oven to high broil and cook for another 2 minutes to brown cheese on top.
12.  Remove from oven and enjoy!

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Now, I know the list of ingredients looks a little long for a “quick fix casserole,” but it’s really not as much work as it seems.  Most of the time for this dish comes from baking, so you can get back to taking care of your family and home while it’s in the oven!  Here’s the prep work involved for this recipe:

-Slicing cherry tomatoes in half (or you could use canned diced tomatoes that have been drained instead)
-Slicing the red onion
-Chopping up roasted red pepper (comes in strips already, I just like it in smaller pieces)

Everything else can just be poured right in and mixed up!  It’s easy and delicious, I know you’ll agree once you try it yourself!

If your family likes casseroles, be sure to check out this cheesy bacon biscuit casserole that’s perfect for breakfast!

What’s your favorite one dish casserole recipe?  I’d love for you to share in the comments below!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.