Baked Sausage Penne

"I love baked pasta, but wanted to make something a little different from most of the recipes that I saw. I use homemade marinara and homemade pesto, but feel free to use jarred if that's what you have on hand. You can also use chicken or turkey sausage instead of pork if you wish. This was intended to make dinner for two plus leftovers, as there are only two of us in the house, and I wanted it to be easy enough to pull together on a weeknight. Serve with a green salad, garlic bread, and a nice glass of red wine. Cooking time includes prep and resting time."
 
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photo by lazyme photo by lazyme
photo by lazyme
photo by Baby Kato photo by Baby Kato
photo by Baby Kato photo by Baby Kato
photo by breezermom photo by breezermom
photo by Boomette photo by Boomette
Ready In:
55mins
Ingredients:
9
Yields:
1 casserole
Serves:
3
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ingredients

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directions

  • 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.

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Reviews

  1. Yummy! I made this with hot Italian sausage and a whole wheat penne. Very simple and great comfort food. My grandson finished this off rather quickly, lol. Thanks Ingrid for a nice meal. Made for Zaar Stars Tag.
     
  2. Whole family loved this easy weeknight dinner. Made for ZWT 2011. A keeper!
     
  3. We enjoyed this tasty comfort food very much Ingrid. The pasta was perfectly cooked, bathed in sauce and wrapped in warm melted cheese. I used hot italian pork sausage, scoobi doo pasta, homemade hot n spicy marinara, 2 tbsps basil pesto, added all the seasonings and a good quality parmesan, resulting in a wonderful tasting meal. Thank you so much for sharing.
     
  4. Great basic recipe, more of a starter though. It's a little too plain for my family so I added red and green peppers and corn. We don't use Italian seasoning so I just mixed basil, parsley and sage. The chili flakes were a great addition. I used about 1/2 tsp.
     
  5. This is perfect teenage boy food! Just what they like...cheese, pasta, and meat! This is very filling and delicious. Thanks for posting. Made for 123 Hit Tags.
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I live near Seattle, WA with my husband of 11 years and our pet ferrets. We're lucky enough to own a home with a big, south facing yard which is great for entertaining. It also allows me to have a big vegetable garden where I grow most of my own herbs and a lot of the vegetables we eat in the summer, as well as a bunch to share with family and friends. In my professional life, I'm an accountant- but what I really love to do is cook and eat! Most of my ability is self-taught. I love to experiment with new recipes and techniques, most of which I get from watching way too much food tv and reading foodie magazines. Recently I decided to start a personal chef business and have cooked for a few clients. I love the challenge of designing a menu to fit a family's specific tastes and needs, and then cooking it for them to enjoy. For me, cooking is an expression of love. Everyone needs to eat, but food is more than just fuel for the body, it can nurture and comfort ~ give us a memory from childhood, or a retreat when we feel ill. I always think of the people who I'm cooking for when I make a dish, and there is no better compliment than when someone enjoys the food I've made especially for them. I also like to do OAMC- style cooking, but instead of using it mainly to get dinner on the table, I focus on getting lunch in the bag! Eating out is far too expensive in both dollars and nutrition to make a habit of, yet I want a hot, satisfying meal to enjoy in the middle of the day. Cookin ahead allows me to have great food, without sacrificing either my dollars or my waistline. <img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/ZaarNicksMom/Animation6.gif"><img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/ZaarNicksMom/PACsticker-Adopted.jpg"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/participantbannerzwt5.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/MrsTeny/Permanent%20Collection/PACSpring09Participation.jpg"><img src="http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/MrsTeny/Permanent%20Collection/PACSpring09Iwasadopted.jpg"><img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/PACfall08partic.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/IWasAdoptedfall08.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/MrsTeny/AMpageSticker.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r317/j_welcome/pics2/food/PRMRcopy.jpg"><img src="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj81/HokiesLady65/Recipezaar%20Album/iplaytagin.jpg">[IMG] http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e95/momaphet/Food/banner10.jpg[/IMG]
 
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