Creamy Baked Pasta Casserole with Cheeses, Bacon & Mushrooms

This family-friendly pasta bake combines linguine, a melty cheese blend, bacon, ham, vegetables with light cream for a rich yet approachable weeknight casserole. It bakes to a golden, bubbly finish.

Creamy Baked Pasta Casserole with Cheeses, Bacon & Mushrooms

Recipe by George Zolis

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: Main dishCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

919

kcal

Total time

50

minutes

Family-friendly pasta casserole with melty cheeses, bacon, ham, mushrooms, and red pepper. Creamy, golden, and ready after ~30 minutes of baking.

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Ingredients

Metric US

• 500 g 17.6 oz Linguine

• 150 g 5.3 oz Bacon

• 100 g 3.5 oz Ham

• 500 g 17.6 oz Melty Cheese Blend, grated

• 400 ml 13.5 fl oz Light Cream

• 200 g 7 oz Mushrooms

• 1 1 Red Bell Pepper

• 30 g 2 tbsp Margarine

• Salt and Pepper, to taste

How to make Baked Pasta Casserole

• Bring 2 liters (2.1 qt) of water to a boil; add 1 tbsp salt.
• Cook the linguine per package time; drain well.
• Melt the margarine in the warm pot. Return the pasta and toss to coat.
• Transfer pasta to a baking dish.
• Scatter bacon, mushrooms, red pepper, and shredded cheese evenly on top.
• Pour over the light cream so it reaches everywhere; finish with freshly ground pepper.
• Bake at 390°F / 200°C, conventional heat, middle rack, for ~30 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

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Creamy, Cheesy, and Crowd-Pleasing

This casserole leans into a melty cheese blend for that stretchy, camera-ready pull, while light cream keeps it rich but not heavy. Bacon + ham bring savory depth; mushrooms add earthiness; red pepper lends subtle sweetness and color. Tossing the pasta with margarine right after draining prevents clumping and helps the sauce coat every strand.

Texture & Bake Tips

• Salt pasta water well for flavorful noodles.
• Distribute toppings evenly so the cheese melts edge-to-edge.
• Bake on the middle rack at 390°F / 200°C until deep golden. Rest a few minutes before slicing to help it set for neat portions.

Storage & Reheat

Refrigerate up to 3 days; reheat in a hot oven 8–10 minutes until creamy and hot. Freeze individual portions up to 2 months; reheat from frozen, covered, then uncover to re-crisp the top.

Make It Yours

Swap linguine for penne or rigatoni if you prefer tubular shapes; keep veggies well-drained to avoid watering down the sauce.