Baked Penne With Sausage And Spinach Oven Or Crock Pot Recipes

BAKED PENNE WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375F and move the rack to the top third of the oven.
• Boil a salted pot of water for the pasta. Cook it for 2 minutes less than the package directions indicate. Once it's done, drain it and set it aside.
• Crumble the sausage meat directly into a skillet, and add the onion in too. There should be enough fat released by the sausage to cook the onion, but if it's particularly lean, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage has browned (about 10 minutes). If there's a lot of excess fat, spoon most of it out.
• Stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute.
• Add in the marinara sauce and red pepper flakes and cook for a couple more minutes until it's warmed through.
• Add the drained pasta to a 9x13 baking dish and then pour the sausage mixture over top. I add in some salt & pepper as well. Toss until everything is coated. Smooth it out into an even layer.
• Top with the cheeses and bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese (watch it carefully). Serve immediately.

BAKED PENNE WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Heat oil in a large, deep skillet. Place sausage and onion in the skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain excess fat. Pour in wine, and cook for 1 minute, stirring, to deglaze the pan. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Toss with cooked pasta, and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle top with mozzarella.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

BAKED PENNE WITH THREE CHEESES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Prepare the penne rigate according to the package directions, minus 1 or 2 minutes of cooking time (see Cook's Note). Drain, then pour the pasta into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan.
• In a 4-quart saucepan, melt the butter on medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour until it's dissolved. Add the cream to the saucepan. Add the nutmeg, seasoned salt, and black pepper and whisk the mixture until it's warmed through.
• Reduce the heat to low, and add the mozzarella, Cheddar, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir until you have a smooth cheese sauce.
• Pour the sauce over the pasta and top with the breadcrumbs.
• Bake for about 40 minutes, until the top turns a golden brown.

CHEESY SPINACH BAKED PENNE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mist a 2 to 2 1/2-quart rectangular or oval baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook according to package directions for al dente.
• While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a medium pot set over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and garlic and cook until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil sprig, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, lowering the heat if the sauce bubbles too vigorously, until the sauce has thickened slightly, the flavors have blended together and the raw tomato taste has cooked out, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the basil and season with additional salt and pepper. Pour over the cooked pasta and toss well to coat. Add the cubed mozzarella and transfer half the pasta to the prepared baking dish.
• Put the cottage cheese in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Add the shredded mozzarella and Parmesan and pulse two to three times. Combine half the cottage cheese mixture with the spinach and mix to break up the spinach. Drop in spoonfuls over the pasta in the baking dish. Top the spinach layer with the rest of the pasta and then the remaining cottage cheese mixture.
• Bake until bubbly and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes, and then scatter the torn basil over the top.

BAKED SAUSAGE PENNE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350.
• In a large pot of boiling, salted water; cook the pasta just to al dente. You don't want it mushy, as it will cook more in the oven.
• While pasta is cooking, brown the italian sausage in a saute pan over medium heat, breaking it up into small pieces.
• Drain any accumulated grease and discard.
• Add the marinara sauce, pesto, italian seasoning and chili flakes. Stir, and let simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 -6 minutes, until the sauce comes to a boil.
• Taste, and add salt, pepper, or more italian seasoning as necessary.
• Drain the cooked pasta, and place in a mixing bowl.
• Add the sauce mixture and 3 ounces of the shredded cheese. Stir to combine.
• Coat an 8 x 8 (or similar sized) baking dish with cooking spray.
• Place pasta mixture in the baking dish, spreading to fill the dish evenly.
• Top with the reaining cheeses.
• You could make ahead to this point, and refrigerate until you are ready to cook, but if so, your baking time will be longer.
• Bake, uncovered at 350 for 20 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.
• Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

BAKED PENNE WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
• Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Place sausage and onion in a large, deep skillet.
• Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown.
• Drain excess fat.
• Pour in wine, and cook for 1 minute, stirring, to deglaze the pan.
• Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and tomato paste.
• Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Toss with cooked pasta, and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Sprinkle top with mozzarella.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

BURGER BAKED PENNE WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350f degrees.
• Cook penne in salted water to al dente.
• Drain and set aside.
• In a nonstick frypan scramble fry hamburger until no pink remains, about 5 minutes, drain fat if necessary, add stewed tomatoes, jalepeno if using, simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add parmesan cheese, stir to mix, add salt and pepper, simmer 2 minutes until cheese melts.
• Add spinach, turning over and over until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.
• Spray a casserole with veggie spray, turn hamburger mix into casserole, add penne, stir to combine.
• Srinkle cheddar cheese over top.
• Set, uncovered, on middle rack in 350f degrees oven, bake for about 20 minutes, until bubbly and hot.
• Serve with a green salad.

BAKED PENNE WITH SAUSAGE AND SPINACH (OVEN OR CROCK-POT)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375. Grease a deep lasagna pan (or two 9x9 pans). Crockpot instructions are at the bottom.
• SAUCE: In a large deep saucepan, heat oil. Add onion and saute slowly until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add sausage to pan; continue to saute and break up sausage into bite size pieces. When sausage is just about done, add garlic for a minute or two. Finally, pour red wine into pan and bring wine to a boil to evaporate alcohol and eliminate most of the liquid.
• Add tomatoes to other ingredients. Pour about 1/2 cup water into the tomato can to clean out the can - add this water to the pot. Add pesto. While this simmers about 10 minutes, cook the pasta.
• PASTA: Bring plenty of salted water to boil for pasta (lots of water will prevent sticky pasta). Cook according to package directions; drain.
• In a large mixing bowl, toss hot cooked pasta, chopped fresh spinach and tomato/sausage sauce. DO NOT ADD CHEESE YET. Continue combining hot ingredients until spinach wilts slightly, THEN add cubed mozzarella and 1/2 CUP of the Parmesan cheese. Toss quickly and pour into your prepared baking dish (if you work with the cheese too long, it will become a stringy mess!).
• Sprinkle final 1/2 CUP Parmesan on top.
• Bake 375 for 30 minutes, uncovered, until hot and bubbly.
• CROCKPOT VERSION FOR A CROWD: Double recipe. Make sure pasta is a bit undercooked (slightly firm). Pour into crockpot; add 1 cup hot water around the edges. Cook on HIGH 3 hours.