Make Ahead Italian Sausage Pasta Bake Recipe 45 Recipes

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.

MAKE AHEAD ITALIAN SAUSAGE & PASTA BAKE RECIPE - (4/5)

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).

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).

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.

SAUSAGE PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• To make the ragu, heat the oil in a large shallow pan or flameproof casserole. Squeeze the sausagemeat from its skins in small balls straight into the pan. Sizzle for 10 mins until browned (don't worry if the meat breaks up). Add the garlic and sizzle for another minute until starting to turn golden, then stir in the chilli flakes, if using, the tomato purée and vinegar. Tip in the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and bubble for 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, make the white sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour to make a loose paste. Sizzle for a minute, then gradually whisk in the milk. Simmer gently for 10 mins, whisking occasionally to ensure the sauce stays smooth. Season and whisk in the parmesan. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water for 9 mins, or a minute less than pack instructions. Drain and return to the pan. Scrape most of the white sauce into the pasta and stir to coat. Tip in most of the ragu and most of the mozzarella and stir until just combined. Pour the pasta mixture into a large baking dish and spoon over the remaining white sauce and ragu. Dot with the rest of the mozzarella and sprinkle with extra parmesan. Leave to cool completely, then wrap and chill for up to a day, or freeze for up to two months. Defrost in the fridge for 24 hrs before baking.
• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Bake for 25-30 mins until the top is slightly crisp at the edges and the cheese is melted. Leave to rest for 5-10 mins, then take the baking dish straight to the table for people to scoop onto their plates.