This easy baked rotini casserole has just 5 main ingredients and needs about 10 minutes of hands-on time! A family favorite. Read the notes for lots of add-in ideas.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time33 minutesmins
Total Time45 minutesmins
Ingredients
1lbrotini, uncooked
1tablespoonsalt, for cooking rotini
½cuppasta water, reserved from cooking pasta
4-5cupsfavorite pasta sauce, (about 1.5 24-oz jars)
16ozricotta, or cottage cheese
1egg, lightly beaten/whisked
2cupsshredded cheese, divided. Use a combination of cheeses, such as mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan, Monterey Jack
Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13 baking dish by spraying or brushing with olive oil or cooking spray.
Boil water in a large pot with 1 tablespoon salt. Cook the rotini for about 8 minutes, or according to the al dente instructions on the packaging (typically 2 minutes less than fully cooked).
Carefully spoon out ½ cup of hot pasta water and transfer to a heat-safe bowl or mug. Drain the rest of the water out and place the pasta back in the empty pot.
Add the spaghetti sauce, ricotta, beaten egg, and 1 cup shredded cheese to the pasta. Rinse out your spaghetti sauce jar or measurement cup with the reserved pasta water and add that in. Add Italian seasoning, if using. Mix well.
Transfer the pasta mixture to the 9x13-inch pan and spread it around evenly. Top with the remaining 1 cup shredded cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cheese on top is bubbly and starting to brown. Serve warm, garnishing with fresh basil or parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Time saving tip: Gather your ingredients while the pasta cooks. Clean up while the pasta bakes.Dish saving tip: Whisk the egg in the emptied ricotta container.Optional add ins: Cooked chopped chicken, browned ground beef or ground turkey (drained well), browned ground sausage, thawed frozen meatballs (whole or chopped), roasted or parboiled broccoli (parboil it for 3-4 minutes with the pasta), thawed frozen spinach (squeeze to remove excess moisture) or wilted fresh spinach. Add any of these to the cooked pasta mixture.