Is there anything more satisfying, more comforting, or more universally loved than a big, bubbly, and cheesy baked pasta casserole, fresh from the oven? This incredible, from-scratch Creamy Sausage and Escarole Baked Pasta is the absolute ultimate in one-dish comfort food. It’s a perfect, hearty blend of savory Italian sausage, a luscious and creamy tomato-ricotta sauce, and the wonderful, subtle bitterness of fresh escarole, all tossed with pasta and baked under a glorious blanket of gooey, melted cheese.
This isn’t just another casserole recipe; it’s a guide to a sophisticated yet rustic Italian-American classic. We’ll show you the simple secrets to a perfectly rich and creamy sauce and introduce you to the delicious, leafy green that will become your new favorite pasta ingredient. Get ready to create a show-stopping meal that is perfect for a cozy family dinner or for feeding a hungry crowd.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate Comfort Food Casserole
What makes this Sausage and Escarole Baked Pasta so spectacular is its incredible, balanced flavor profile and its wonderfully hearty texture. This dish is a masterclass in combining classic flavors in a new and exciting way. The rich, savory flavor of the Italian sausage and the luscious creaminess of the tomato-ricotta sauce are perfectly balanced by the sophisticated, pleasant bitterness of the wilted escarole. It’s a make-ahead and freezer-friendly meal that is guaranteed to become a new family favorite.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 6-8 |
The Essential Ingredients for This Hearty Casserole
This recipe uses a handful of fresh, high-quality ingredients to create its signature comforting and savory flavor.
- Escarole (The Sophisticated Green): This is the secret ingredient that elevates this dish from a simple baked ziti to a truly special meal.
- What is it?: Escarole is a leafy green vegetable and a member of the chicory family, related to endive and radicchio. It has broad, slightly curly leaves and a wonderfully crisp texture.
- What does it taste like?: Escarole has a lovely, complex flavor that is fresh, slightly sweet, and has a pleasant, mild bitterness. This subtle bitter note is the perfect, sophisticated counterpoint to the richness of the sausage and the creamy, cheesy sauce.
- The Creamy Tomato-Ricotta Sauce:
- Ricotta Cheese: The secret to an incredibly creamy and luscious sauce without being overly heavy. A generous amount of whole-milk ricotta cheese is stirred into a simple, from-scratch tomato sauce at the end, giving it a beautiful rosy color and a wonderfully rich, velvety texture.
- Sweet or Spicy Italian Sausage: Using high-quality Italian sausage is a fantastic shortcut that adds a huge amount of savory, seasoned flavor to the dish. Its rendered fat is also used to wilt the escarole, infusing it with incredible flavor.
- The Pasta: The recipe calls for farfalle (bow-tie pasta), which is a fun shape that catches the sauce well. A classic, tubular pasta shape like ziti or rigatoni would also be a perfect choice for this baked dish.
Step-by-Step to the Best Baked Pasta
This delicious, one-pan sauce meal is incredibly simple to prepare.
Step 1: Make the Creamy Tomato-Ricotta Sauce
Step 1: First, preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C). Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil for your pasta.
Step 2: In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the 4 thinly sliced cloves of garlic and the pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and a light golden color.
Step 3: Add the two cans of hand-crushed plum tomatoes and 1 cup of water to the saucepan. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Step 4: Reduce the heat slightly, add the 1 sprig of fresh oregano, and let the sauce simmer rapidly, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until it has thickened.
Step 5: Discard the oregano sprig. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the 1 cup of fresh ricotta cheese until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to your taste.
Step 2: Cook the Sausage, Escarole, and Pasta
Step 1: While the sauce is simmering, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 3/4 pound of sausage (with the casings removed) and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon, until it is nicely browned.
Step 2: Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage to a large bowl, leaving the delicious sausage drippings in the skillet.
Step 3: Add the 1/2 head of chopped escarole and a pinch of salt to the skillet with the sausage drippings. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes, until the escarole has wilted and become tender. Transfer the wilted escarole to the bowl with the sausage.
Step 4: Cook your 1 pound of farfalle in the pot of boiling, salted water until it is very al dente (about 2 minutes less than the package directions). Drain the pasta and add it to the large mixing bowl with the sausage and escarole.
Pro Tip: Cooking the pasta only to al dente is crucial! It will continue to cook and absorb sauce in the oven, and this step ensures that your final pasta is perfectly cooked, not soft and mushy.
Step 3: Assemble and Bake Your Casserole
Step 1: To your large mixing bowl with the pasta, sausage, and escarole, add your prepared tomato-ricotta sauce, half of the shredded mozzarella (1 1/2 cups), and half of the grated Parmesan (1/2 cup). Stir everything together well to combine.
Step 2: Transfer the pasta mixture to a 3- to 4-quart baking dish.
Step 3: Top the casserole with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella and the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
Step 4: Bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, until the cheese on top is melted, golden brown, and bubbly.
Step 5 (The Most Important Step!): Let the baked pasta stand for at least 10 minutes before serving. This crucial resting period allows the hot, molten sauce and cheese to set up slightly, which is the secret to getting beautiful, clean slices that aren’t a soupy mess.
The Best Creamy Sausage and Escarole Baked Pasta
A hearty and creamy baked pasta dish that combines farfalle pasta with Italian sausage and wilted escarole. The recipe features a from-scratch tomato sauce that is enriched with fresh ricotta for a creamy texture. Crumbled Italian sausage and escarole are sautéed and then tossed with the ricotta-tomato sauce, par-cooked pasta, and a blend of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. The entire mixture is then transferred to a baking dish, topped with more cheese, and baked until browned and bubbly.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (includes resting time)
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Category: Casserole
- Method: Baking, Sautéing, Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- One 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
- One 15-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 1 sprig fresh oregano
- 1 cup fresh ricotta
- 3/4 pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1/2 head escarole, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 pound dried farfalle
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Make the Sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about 2 minutes, until the garlic is golden. Add both cans of tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Bring to a simmer, then add the oregano and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened. Discard the oregano sprig and stir in the ricotta. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook the Sausage and Escarole: While the sauce simmers, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up, for about 5 minutes until browned. Transfer the sausage to a large bowl with a slotted spoon.
- Add the escarole and a pinch of salt to the sausage drippings in the skillet. Cook for about 4 minutes, until wilted. Transfer the escarole to the bowl with the sausage.
- Cook the Pasta: Cook the farfalle in the boiling salted water until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directs. Drain the pasta.
- Assemble and Bake: Add the drained pasta, the tomato-ricotta sauce, half of the mozzarella, and half of the Parmesan to the bowl with the sausage and escarole. Stir well to combine.
- Transfer the pasta mixture to a 3- to 4-quart baking dish. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, until the top is browned and the casserole is bubbly.
- Let the pasta stand for about 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Cooking the pasta until it is ‘very al dente’ (undercooked) is a key step, as it will continue to cook in the oven and absorb the sauce without becoming mushy.
- Wilting the escarole in the rendered sausage drippings adds a layer of savory flavor to the greens.
- Letting the casserole rest for 10 minutes after baking allows the sauce to set, making it easier to serve.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
This baked pasta is the perfect make-ahead meal for a busy week or for a potluck.
- Make-Ahead: You can fully assemble the entire, unbaked casserole up to 24 hours in advance. Simply cover it tightly with foil and store it in the refrigerator. When you are ready to bake, you may need to add 10-15 minutes to the baking time since it will be starting from cold.
- Storage: Store any leftovers, well-covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: This casserole freezes beautifully! You can freeze it either before or after baking. Let it cool completely, then wrap the pan very well in a double layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before baking or reheating.
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Creative Recipe Variations
- Use a Different Protein: If you’re not a fan of Italian sausage, this recipe is also absolutely fantastic with an equal amount of browned ground beef or ground turkey. You can also stir in about 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Make it a Vegetarian Casserole: For a delicious and hearty vegetarian version, you can simply omit the sausage and sauté about 8 to 12 ounces of chopped mushrooms with the escarole instead. Be sure to use vegetable broth if the recipe called for it.
- Use a Different Green: If you can’t find escarole or are not a fan of its bitter flavor, you could easily substitute it with about 4 cups of chopped, hearty kale (sauté it for a few minutes longer to tenderize it), or you can stir in a few large handfuls of fresh baby spinach at the very end with the pasta.
Enjoy The Ultimate Comfort Food Casserole!
You’ve just created a truly special dish that is a perfect harmony of hearty, comforting, and delicious flavors. This Creamy Sausage and Escarole Baked Pasta is a testament to the power of a simple, from-scratch meal to bring the whole family together. It’s a rewarding and deeply satisfying recipe that is sure to become a new, much-requested family favorite.
We hope you enjoy every last, warm, and delicious bite!
If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who loves a good, easy, and comforting meal!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is escarole, and what does it taste like?
Escarole is a leafy green vegetable that is a member of the chicory family, so it is related to endive and radicchio. It has a wonderful, complex flavor that is fresh, slightly sweet, and has a very pleasant, mild bitterness. This subtle bitter note is a classic Italian flavor and is the perfect, sophisticated counterpoint to the richness of the sausage and the creamy, cheesy sauce in this dish.
Q2: Can I make this casserole ahead of time for a party?
Yes, this is a perfect make-ahead meal! You can fully assemble the entire unbaked casserole, cover it tightly, and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to bake, just remove the cover and pop it in the oven (you may need to add 10-15 minutes to the baking time).
Q3: What is the best way to reheat a baked pasta casserole?
The best way to reheat a large portion of the casserole is to cover it with foil and bake it in a 350°F oven for about 20-25 minutes, until it is hot and bubbly. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave.
Q4: Can I use no-boil lasagna noodles for this recipe instead of the farfalle?
Yes, you can absolutely turn this into a layered “lasagna”-style casserole! Simply use no-boil lasagna noodles and create layers of the noodles, the ricotta-tomato sauce, and the sausage and escarole mixture, finishing with a layer of sauce and the topping cheeses.
Q5: What is the best way to clean and prepare fresh escarole?
You should treat it just like a head of lettuce. Simply remove any tough outer leaves, chop off the root end, and then roughly chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces. It is very important to wash the chopped leaves thoroughly in a large bowl of cold water or in a salad spinner to remove any grit or sand that can be trapped in the leaves.