Easy Baked Penne

Submitted by handsandfeet

"I'm a college student living in dorms with very little in the way of money, good cooking equipment, or access to ingredients. Almost everything in this recipe can be substituted for something else. This (and everything else I'll be posting) is really for my own reference and if it helps out other hungry college kids, great. This can be a little salty, but I've found that the other college students I cook for enjoy that. It's a good alternative to ramen and dining hall food, since our dorms have ovens and stove tops. I usually add some fresh hot peppers to this, since I like my food spicy. This recipe isn't likely to be your favorite if you live at home, but for someone on the go or in my situation, it's great because it makes fantastic leftovers."

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 1 lb penne pasta
• 1 1⁄2 lbs ground hot Italian sausage
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 (24 ounce) jars tomato sauce (any variety)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1⁄2 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese
• 8 ounces Italian cheese blend

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Cook pasta to slightly al dente, as it will continue to cook in the oven.
3. While water is boiling and pasta is cooking, cook sausage in a skillet until slightly browned and drain off some of the liquid if desired.
4. Add onion and pepper to the pan to soften.
5. After draining pasta, put it back in the pot and add one jar of tomato sauce each to both the pasta pot and the skillet.
6. To a 13x9 baking dish (college students, if you don't have a baking dish at school, you can buy the disposable foil ones at many campus convenience stores) add a layer of the meat mixture, then a layer of pasta, then a layer of the cheeses mixed together.
7. Repeat this until you've used up your ingredients, making the top layer a cheese layer. Make sure the top is totally covered with cheese (if you don't use all the grated cheese, that's fine. I just like a lot of cheese.).
8. Bake for 20-30 minutes.