featured 2569

Hearty Meat Lover’s Pasta Recipe for Crowd-Pleasing Dinners

When your family is hungry, satisfy them with a hearty Meat Lovers Pasta that combines three meats and three cheeses for a filling, budget-friendly meal.

Black bowl of meat lovers pasta with bread on side

Hearty, comforting, and easy to prepare, this pasta bake stretches your grocery budget while delivering big flavor. It’s perfect for cold evenings and feeds a crowd—or provides leftovers for another meal.

Make It a Meal

Serve this casserole with a crisp green salad and garlic bread. A simple salad of iceberg, fresh spinach, and leftover steamed broccoli balances the rich tomato and cheese flavors. A creamy ranch or your favorite vinaigrette works well.

Variations

Add chopped onions, green peppers, and mushrooms to bulk up the dish with vegetables. You can also swap the red marinara for a white Alfredo-style sauce. Any mid-sized pasta shape works—rotini, penne, or rigatoni are ideal. Very small shapes or thin spaghetti can be overwhelmed by the meats.

For extra indulgence, sprinkle crumbled bacon or bacon bits on top before baking.

Baked meat lovers pasta horizontal overhead view of casserole dish

Leftovers refrigerate well for a couple of days. To store longer, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze. I often make two 8×8 pans: one to bake now and one to freeze for a busy night later.

Meat Lovers Pasta Pin

Meat Lovers Pasta Recipe

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces rotini pasta (or other mid-sized pasta)
  • 1 lb ground sausage
  • 1 lb sausage link, sliced into 1/2-inch chunks
  • 1/2 lb pepperoni slices (reserve some for topping)
  • 48 ounces pasta sauce (marinara)
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 TB oregano
  • 1 TB barbecue spice
Meat lovers pasta ingredient spiral noodles
Meat lovers pasta ingredient sliced link sausage
Meat lovers pasta ingredient pepperoni slices
Meat lovers pasta ingredient browned ground sausage

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain.
  3. While pasta cooks, brown the ground sausage in a skillet; drain excess fat.
  4. Slice the sausage link into 1/2-inch chunks and add to the cooked sausage. Reserve several pepperoni slices for the top.
  5. In a large bowl or pan, combine drained pasta, pasta sauce, and all cooked meats.
  6. Spread the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
  7. Sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar evenly over the pasta-meat mixture.
  8. Arrange reserved pepperoni slices over the shredded cheese.
  9. Mix the Parmesan, oregano, and barbecue spice; sprinkle over the entire pan.
  10. Bake at 350°F until bubbly and the cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 35–40 minutes. Let rest a few minutes before serving.
Step 1 Meat Lovers Pasta
Step 2 Meat Lovers Pasta
Step 3 Meat Lovers Pasta

Recipe Details

  • Course: Main Course
  • Cuisine: American, Italian
  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 1 hour
  • Servings: 12

Black bowl of meat lovers pasta with bread on side

Notes

This casserole is forgiving: adjust spices and meat quantities to taste. If you prefer a milder dish, reduce the barbecue spice or substitute turkey sausage. Swap cheeses to suit what you have on hand.

Approximate Nutritional Information

Per serving (recipe makes 12): Calories: 598; Total Fat: 40g; Cholesterol: 115mg; Sodium: 1624mg; Total Carbs: 27g; Protein: 29g.

Meat Lovers Pasta Nutrition

Originally published as a syndicated column for the week beginning January 7, 2013. Updated October 14, 2018 with new photos.

Follow ApronFreeCooking

Instagram: @noellizotte

Twitter: @ApronFreeCook

Pinterest and Facebook profiles also available.