With pasta, fire roasted tomatoes, herbs, and a creamy cheese sauce, you won't even miss the meat in this Tomato Casserole Recipe! It is a perfect, comforting Meatless Casserole option for the whole family.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword casserole recipes, tomato casserole, tomato pasta bake, tomato pasta casserole
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the dried pasta shells and cook until barely tender. It will cook further in the oven. Drain and set aside.
In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until just fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Whisk in the flour until it forms a sauce and develops a nutty aroma, 2-4 minutes.
While continuing to whisk, slowly pour in the evaporated milk. Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. If the mixture was boiling, allow to rest for a minute before adding the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, 1 cup at a time and incorporating between each addition. Set aside.
In a large skillet, drizzle the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with the juice and cook until heated through.
Stir in the oregano, basil, yogurt, parsley, salt, and pepper. Fold in the cooked pasta shells and the cheese mixture until well combined. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs. Drizzle with additional olive oil and bake until golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Notes
Be careful to not overcook the pasta while boiling and drain as soon as they become nearly al dente. They will cook a little further while baking in the oven.
Crush the dried oregano and basil between your fingers before adding to the tomato mixture. This will help release additional flavor.
I tend to only keep unseasoned breadcrumbs in the pantry. To season them yourself, take about two cups of unseasoned breadcrumbs and mix in about 1 tablespoon of Italian seasonings and large pinches of salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
In addition to folding it into the sauce, I also sprinkled some of the freshly chopped parsley over the breadcrumb-topped casserole for extra color.
If you are looking for an even richer and more creamy casserole, use the full fat versions of the evaporated milk and Greek yogurt.