Italian Sausage Pasta Bake Recipes

ITALIAN SAUSAGE PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Cook pasta just until al dente (where it still has some bite). The pasta will continue to bake in the oven later, so you don't want it to be too soft.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet sauté sausage, bell pepper, and mushrooms until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Drain.
• Combine sausage mixture with cooked pasta, marinara sauce, half-and-half, and Parmesan.
• Pour half of the pasta mixture into a 13x9-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Layer half of the mozzarella slices on top.
• Add another layer of pasta and a final layer of mozzarella.
• Bake at 375 degrees F, uncovered, for about 25-30 minutes (or until warmed through and cheese is melted).

ITALIAN SAUSAGE PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large pot with generously salted water, cook pasta according to instructions until al dente. Drain and transfer pasta back into the pot. Tip: Cook pasta until al dente (aka cooked until it's still a little bit firm when bitten) since it will continue cooking in the oven later.

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.

SAUSAGE PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In a skillet, cook the sausage, green pepper, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, drain. , In a bowl, combine the pasta, sausage mixture, tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, Italian seasoning and pepper., Transfer to a greased shallow 3-cup baking dish. Cover and bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5-8 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

PASTA AND SAUSAGE BAKE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until a thermometer reads 160°; drain. Slice into 1/2-inch pieces. In a greased 2-qt. baking dish, combine the sausage, sauce, mostaccioli and Parmesan cheese. Top with mozzarella cheese. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

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.

MAKE AHEAD ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Cut sausage into 1/2 inch chunks. I large skillet, brown sausage over medium-high heat, in batches and adding oil if necessary. Transfer sausage to a bowl.
• Pour off any fat from pan. Add onions, garlic and red pepper, cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in pasta sauce, tomato sauce, basil, oregano and fennel seeds; bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan. Return sausage and any accumulated juices to pan; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until sausage is firm throughout.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta for 6 minutes, add spinach;cook for 1 minute. Drain well and return to pot. Add sausage mixture and provolone/mozzarella cheese; stir to combine well.
• Transfer to 2 greased 8-inch square baking dishes or 1 13x9-inch dish. Sprinkle with Asiago/parmesan cheese. Cover dish with greased foil, greased side down.
• To serve: Bake, covered with foil, in in 375 degree F. oven for 30 minutes or for 1 hour if from the refrigerator. This freezes beautifully (thaw in refrigerator before baking).

ITALIAN SAUSAGE RIGATONI BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Cook rigatoni according to package directions; drain., In a large skillet, cook sausage, mushrooms and pepper over medium-high heat until sausage is no longer pink and vegetables are tender, breaking up sausage into crumbles, 8-10 minutes; drain. Stir in marinara sauce, Parmesan cheese and cream. Add rigatoni and toss to coat., In each of 2 greased 8-in. square baking dishes, layer one-fourth of the rigatoni mixture and one-fourth of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, until heated through and cheese is melted, 25-35 minutes. (Cover loosely with foil if tops brown too quickly.) Freeze option: Cool unbaked casseroles; cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake casseroles as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PASTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Prepare pasta as directed, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
• As pasta is cooking, cook Italian sausage as desired. (I like to pre-cook sausages, as they are easier to cut once they are already cooked.).
• After sausages are cooked, remove from pan and set aside.
• In a large pan, saute onion, peppers, zucchini, and garlic in olive oil until opaque.
• Season with cumin, thyme, basil, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
• Slice sausages into bite-size pieces, then add sausages, tomatoes, and pasta to the vegetables and stir.
• Spray large casserole dish with cooking spray and transfer entire mixture into dish.
• Top with feta cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until cheese starts to melt.