This Italian Bake is everything baked together, tender chicken, Italian sausage, pasta, veg all slathered in hearty spaghetti sauce, and gooey pizza cheese. Great for family dinners or for meal prep, this dish is quick to throw together, freezes well and brings the flavor of classic Italian comfort food directly to your table.
Why You’ll Love It:
Crowd-Pleasing Comfort Food: This recipe has everything you want in a classic Italian comfort dish—hearty tomato sauce, savory sausage, juicy chicken, plenty of cheese!
Meal Prep Friendly: I’d recommend making a large batch because leftovers are even better the following day. It’s also freezer friendly so you can eat it on a busy night.
Customizable Ingredients: You can substitute proteins, load up more vegetables, or experiment with types of pasta, so this recipe is flexible and adaptable to your tastes.
Simple and Quick to Prepare: There are a few elements here, but the steps are simple and manageable. After a little bit of prep, you simply assemble, bake and enjoy.
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Key Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts: You can prepare your chicken breasts in advance as well, you can bake, grill, or boil them, and make sure they are no longer pink on the inside. Allow them to cool a bit, then cut into bite-sized pieces. If you’re pressed for time, rotisserie chicken is a handy substitute.
Italian Sausage: Some Italian sausage can have some great flavorful spices packed in. If you use a mild, hot, or even sweet Italian sausage, feel free. If you want something leaner, use turkey or chicken sausage.
Pasta: Any sturdy pasta shape such as penne, rigatoni or shells will do the job, — this bake needs pasta with bite. It should never be softer than al dente, because it will also continue to cook while it bakes in the sauce. Overcooking the pasta now will result in a mushy casserole.
Spaghetti Sauce (note: look for a quality spaghetti sauce for a rich flavorful goodness) For a more homemade feel, you can doctor store-bought sauce by stirring in fresh garlic, Italian herbs or a dash of red pepper flakes.
Bell Peppers: Bell peppers have a sweet, crisp taste that complements the heaviness of the sausage and cheese. “They make everything more colorful and tastier, so I do a combination of red and green bell peppers here.” You could use any additional vegetables you like, such as mushrooms, zucchini or spinach.
Cheese: A pizza cheese blend (these usually feature mozzarella and cheddar) works great as a melt-in-your-mouth, bubbling topping. To give it a more Italian flavor, you could replace some of the cheese with grated Parmesan or provolone.
Ingredients quantities with instructions in the recipe card below
Instructions:
Preheat the Oven
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
Prepare the Ingredients
Chicken: Bake or boil or grill chicken breasts until no longer pink inside. Cool the chicken slightly and cut it into bite-size pieces.
Sausage: Brown the Italian sausage links in a skillet over medium heat and cook through. After it cools a little, chop the sausage into small bite-sized portions.
Vegetables: Dice the onion and coarsely chop the red and green bell peppers. Which provides both color and flavor to the casserole.
Cook the Pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Make sure to cook it just until al dente: It will continue cooking once you add it to the oven.
Add the pasta and cook until tender, 4 to 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water, and set aside.
Combine Ingredients
In a big mixing bowl place the cooked pasta, chicken pieces, sausage slices onion, cuts of bell pepper.
Add a big jar of spaghetti sauce and mix everything together so the sauce coats everything.
Assemble the Casserole
Transfer the pasta mixture to a large, deep baking dish. If it doesn’t all fit in one dish, you can divide the mixture between two dishes and freeze one to eat later.
Spread the mixture in the baking dish evenly.
Top with Cheese
Add a generous amount of the shredded pizza cheese on top of the casserole evenly to form a nice melted layer.
Bake the Casserole
Insert the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for roughly 45 minutes, or until cheese is melted, gold and bubbly, and dish is heated all the way through.
Serve and Enjoy
Allow the casserole to cool for a few minutes before serving. Dig in to your cheesy, meaty chicken and sausage pasta casserole!
Serving Suggestions:
This Italian Bake makes a good meal with just a few simple sides. Here are some ideas:
Garlic Bread or Breadsticks: Great for sopping up any leftover sauce.
Side Salad: Enjoying a refreshing salad of mixed greens, some tomato, cucumber, and a light vinaigrette that will pair perfectly with the baked goods.
Roasted Vegetables: Roasted broccoli, asparagus or Brussels sprouts all are excellent side dishes.
Enjoy a glass of Chianti or Cabernet Sauvignon with the Italian flavors of the sauce.
Storage and Meal Prep Tips:
Refrigeration: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place in a 350°F (175°C) oven or microwave until heated through.
Freezing: This casserole freezes very well! Assemble the dish through the baking step, then wrap it tightly in foil and freeze for up to 3 months. If cooking from frozen, bake covered at 350°F (175°C) for 1 hour, then uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until heated through.
Make-Ahead Tips: This casserole can be made a day before, refrigerated and then baked when you’re ready to serve. Just give it a few more minutes in the oven.
Variations:
There are lots of fun options for varying this recipe according to your own tastes:
Vegetarian Italian Bake: Leave out the chicken and sausage, and pile up vegetables, like mushrooms, spinach, zucchini and eggplant. Add some extra cheese or a meatless Italian sausage substitute for texture and flavor.
Spicy Italian Bake: Use hot Italian sausage and stir in a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce for heat.
Creamy Italian Bake: For a more decadent sauce, stir in a cup of ricotta cheese or a few blobs of cream cheese into the pasta mixture before baking.
Requires Cooking Several Types of Pasta: For gluten-free, choose gluten-free pasta; for more fiber, use whole wheat pasta. Rigatoni or fusilli also work well in place of penne or macaroni.
Herb and Cheese Blend: If you enjoy extra herbs, scatter fresh basil, oregano or parsley on top once baked. Cheese lover: Toss in a handful of shredded Parmesan or Asiago for a flavorful boost.
Conclusion:
This Italian Bake combines the best of Italian comfort food into a simple, crowd-pleasing dish. With tender chicken, savory sausage, colorful veggies, and all the tomato sauce and cheese yous like, this casserole is bound to go into your dinner rotation sometime soon. Also, it’s a terrific make-ahead meal, since it freezes and reheats beautifully, making it ideal for busy families or entertaining.
Serve it up on your couch on a cozy night in, or bring it to a potluck, this Italian Bake is a winner every time. So load up a huge spoon, dive in, and savor each messily cheesy, saucy mouthful!
Italian Bake
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken breasts cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 6 links Italian sausage cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 jars spaghetti sauce or cans, Hunt's recommended
- 1 pound pasta penne, macaroni, shells, or your favorite type
- 1 package pizza cheese blend mozzarella, cheddar, and other cheeses
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 bell peppers 1 red and 1 green, cut into chunks
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C).
- Cook the chicken breasts until fully cooked and no longer pink inside. Let cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces. In a skillet, cook Italian sausage links over medium heat until browned and cooked through. Let cool and cut into bite-sized pieces. Chop the onion and cut the red and green bell peppers into chunks.
- In a large pot, boil water and cook the pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, chicken, sausage, chopped onion, and bell pepper chunks. Pour in the spaghetti sauce and mix well, ensuring everything is coated.
- Transfer the pasta mixture to a large, deep baking dish. Spread evenly in the dish.
- Sprinkle the shredded pizza cheese blend over the top of the casserole, covering it evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, golden, and bubbly.