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Make Ahead Italian Sausage and Pasta Bake

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage mild or hot
  • olive oil optional
  • 2 onions coarsely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 large sweet red pepper coarsely chopped
  • 28 ounces meatless extra chunky pasta sauce
  • 7 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seed
  • 5 cups penne pasta
  • 1 284 g package fresh spinach (trimmed and coarsely chopped)
  • 3 cups shredded provolone cheese or 3 cups mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup grated asiago cheese or 1 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Cut the sausage into 1/2 inch chunks. In large skillet, brown the sausage over medium-high heat, in batches and adding oil if necessary. Transfer sausage to a bowl.
  2. Pour off any fat from the pan. Add the onions, garlic and red pepper, cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in the pasta sauce, tomato sauce, basil, oregano and fennel seeds; bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan.
  3. Return the sausage and any accumulated juices to the pan; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until sausage is firm throughout.
  4. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta for 6 minutes, add the spinach; cook for 1 minute. Drain well and return to the pot. Add the sausage mixture and provolone/mozzarella cheese; stir to combine well.
  5. 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.
  6. 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).