This simple no-boil macaroni casserole is made with floor turkey and greens, with the pasta cooking proper within the sauce. Easy to prep, comforting, and minimal cleanup.
Straightforward Macaroni Casserole
This simple, no-boil Macaroni Casserole is a longtime favourite for a motive. As an alternative of cooking the pasta individually, the macaroni bakes proper within the dish with the sauce and water, absorbing taste because it cooks. The result’s a comfy, comforting casserole with fewer steps and fewer cleanup—no further pot required. It’s the identical streamlined technique I exploit in my Sausage Macaroni Casserole, and it’s excellent for busy nights whenever you need one thing heat, easy, and satisfying.
Why This Recipe Works
I come from the varsity of cooking pasta in loads of water, so when somebody kindly shared this recipe with me over a decade in the past, I gained’t lie, I used to be skeptical! However I liked the end result, and since then I’ve made it many instances, tweaking it to my style. We find it irresistible!
- Household-friendly: Nice for teenagers and even sneaks in some veggies!
- One-pan comfort: No must boil the macaroni individually. It bakes in the identical dish as every thing else.
- Straightforward to make forward and bake proper earlier than dinner. It reheats properly, too!
Substances You’ll Want
Right here’s extra information on all of the macaroni casserole elements. See the recipe card under for the precise measurements.
- 93% Lean Floor Turkey retains it gentle whereas including protein.
- Olive Oil for sautéing the veggies
- Greens: Onion, purple bell pepper, celery, carrots, and mushrooms (white button or child bella)
- Diced Tomatoes: Drain a can of petite-diced tomatoes. When you don’t have petite tomatoes, common diced tomatoes will even work.
- Marinara: Make my fast marinara sauce or use your favourite jarred sauce to save lots of time.
- Water: Though we’re not boiling the pasta individually, we nonetheless want water to assist it cook dinner within the oven.
- Seasoning: Kosher salt and Italian seasoning
- Mozzarella Cheese: I used whole-milk mozzarella on high as a result of I like my cheese melty and gooey, however you should use part-skim mozzarella should you choose.
- Elbows (AKA macaroni): I by no means used to love entire wheat pasta till I tried DeLallo. I’m so impressed with the way it tastes. It’s grow to be my household’s favourite.
How you can Make Straightforward Macaroni Casserole
After making the tomato sauce with turkey and greens, mix every thing with the raw pasta in a dish and bake till heat and tacky. See the recipe card on the backside for printable instructions.
- Brown the bottom turkey in a nonstick skillet. Season with salt, then break it into smaller items because it cooks. Switch to a plate.
- Sauté the greens: Add the oil, then cook dinner the onion, bell pepper, celery, and carrots till tender.
- Mix every thing: Add the turkey to the greens together with the mushrooms, diced tomatoes, marinara, water, salt, and Italian seasoning.
- Simmer: Carry the skillet to a boil, scale back the warmth, and simmer for 20 minutes. Style the sauce to test the flavour; add extra salt or Italian seasoning if wanted.
- Assemble the macaroni casserole: Spoon the turkey combination right into a 9-by- 13-inch pan to cowl the underside. Then layer with the raw macaroni, the remaining sauce, and mozzarella.
- Bake: Cowl the dish with foil and bake at 350°F for 50 to 55 minutes. Let it relaxation for quarter-hour earlier than serving.
Variations
- Meat choices: Swap turkey for floor hen or sirloin. You could possibly additionally use candy or spicy Italian turkey sausage.Marinara Sauce: Save time and use your favourite jarred sauce.
- Vegetarian macaroni casserole: Skip the turkey and add extra veggies.
- Don’t like mushrooms? Omit them. Be at liberty so as to add extra of one other vegetable or strive one thing new, similar to chopped zucchini, yellow squash, or eggplant.
- Swap water with hen broth for extra taste or hen bone broth for further protein.
- No Italian seasoning? Season the casserole with dried oregano, parsley, thyme, or a mixture of all three. You could possibly additionally use onion and garlic powders.
- Make it spicy: Use a spicy marinara or add crushed purple pepper flakes.
- Pasta: Use any small pasta form, similar to ditilini, or mini shells. You too can use common pasta, which cooks sooner than entire wheat, so test it round 30 to 40 minutes.
- Can I exploit cooked pasta? When you choose to boil the macaroni individually, omit the water and bake the casserole for 25 minutes, or till heated by.
- Dairy-free pasta: Skip the cheese or use a plant-based different.
- Wash even fewer dishes. Brown the turkey and sauté the greens in a Dutch oven. After the sauce simmers, stir within the pasta, high with cheese, and bake in the identical pot.
Correct Storage
- Can I make this baked macaroni casserole forward of time? If you wish to assemble it early, put together it by step 8. Cowl the dish with foil and refrigerate for as much as 24 hours. Whereas the oven preheats, let it sit at room temperature, then bake as instructed.
- Refrigerate leftover baked pasta for as much as 4 days.
- Not feeding many individuals? Halve this recipe and bake it in a 9-by-9-inch baking dish to serve 4.
- How you can freeze after baking: Let the casserole cool earlier than freezing. For particular person servings for future lunches, retailer the pasta in 1.5-cup glass containers. Alternatively, freeze half in a bigger dish for a future household dinner. Leftovers will preserve for as much as 3 months within the freezer.
- How you can thaw: Place the dish within the fridge the day earlier than consuming. Then microwave or bake at 350°F till heat.
For extra dinner concepts utilizing macaroni, try these 5 scrumptious pasta recipes to encourage your subsequent meal!
Yield: servings
Serving Measurement: 1 /sixth slice
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In a big deep non-stick skillet, brown the bottom turkey over excessive warmth till cooked by, seasoning with a pinch of salt and breaking it up into smaller items because it cooks. Put aside on a dish.
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Add olive oil to the skillet, scale back warmth to medium and add the onion, purple pepper, celery and carrots; sauté till the greens mushy, about 6 to 7 minutes.
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Return the turkey to the skillet together with the remaining elements apart from the pasta and cheese. Carry to a boil after which decrease warmth to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
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Whereas simmering, warmth oven to 350°F.
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Spoon simply sufficient of the turkey/vegetable combination to cowl the underside of a 9×13 pan. Cowl with raw pasta. Spoon remaining sauce combination evenly excessive and sprinkle with cheese.
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Cowl with foil and bake 50-55 minutes. Take away from oven and let stand, coated, for quarter-hour.
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Divide into 6 servings.
Final Step:
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Serving: 1 /sixth slice, Energy: 456 kcal, Carbohydrates: 40.5 g, Protein: 28.5 g, Fats: 19.5 g, Saturated Fats: 8 g, Ldl cholesterol: 89.5 mg, Sodium: 825 mg, Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 85 g
