Baked Pasta Shells With Sausage And Greens Recipes

BAKED PASTA SHELLS WITH SAUSAGE AND GREENS

Steps:

• Place racks in middle and upper third of oven; preheat to 325°F. Heat a large, deep ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Pour in ¼ cup oil; add sausage and break up into small pieces. Cook, undisturbed, until browned underneath, about 4 minutes. Stir a few times; cook, undisturbed, until cooked through, about 3 minutes.
• Add garlic, chopped sage, and red pepper flakes to sausage and cook, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Mix in half-and-half and simmer until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stirring constantly, gradually add two-thirds of the cheese a little at a time, letting it melt before adding more. Cook, stirring, until sauce is smooth and thick, about 3 minutes; season with salt. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally and adding broccoli rabe during the last 2 minutes, until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain in a colander, shaking well. Return pasta and broccoli rabe to pot.
• Add sausage mixture to pasta and toss to coat; transfer to skillet. Cover with foil and bake on middle rack until pasta is al dente and sauce is bubbling, 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven. Heat broiler.
• Top pasta with remaining cheese. Toss sage leaves and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl; arrange over pasta. Broil on upper rack until cheese is browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

PASTA SHELLS WITH BEANS, GREENS, AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add in the sausage; brown the sausage, breaking it apart with a spoon; drain browned sausage on a paper-towel lined plate.
• Add garlic and sage to the same skillet; stir/saute for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
• Add in the beans, spinach, and broth; bring to a boil.
• Lower heat and simmer about 5 minutes or until the spinach is just tender.
• Add in drained pasta, sausage, salt, and pepper; simmer until well heated; adjust seasoning to taste.

ONE-POT CREAMY SHELLS AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• In 5-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink. Using slotted spoon, transfer to bowl; cover and keep warm.
• Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt to oil and drippings in pan; cook over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes or until softened and starting to brown.
• Stir in broth and pasta sauce; heat to boiling. Stir in pasta; return to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 11 to 13 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked to desired tenderness and sauce is thickened.
• Stir in sausage and whipping cream; return to simmering. Remove from heat. Top with cheese and basil.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook shells in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet; place drained pasta on baking sheet to cool.
• Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a heavy skillet. Cook and crumble sausage until it has lost its pink color and begins to brown. Remove from heat; drain off grease.
• Stir half of the shredded cheese and the Italian seasoning into the browned sausage. Spoon mixture into the pasta shells (1 to 2 tablespoons per shell). Arrange stuffed shells in prepared baking dish. Pour marinara sauce evenly over the shells. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven until heated through and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake until browned, 5 to 10 more minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of Italian seasoning, if desired.

CHEESY BAKED PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Crumble sausage into skillet, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes (if using), and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.
• Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break them up. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.
• Stir in pasta and 1 cup water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, pluck out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella.
• Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you'd like a more deeply browned topping, run the pan under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with basil, plenty of black pepper, and more red-pepper flakes, if you like.