Recipe Box: Smoked Sausage & Pasta Bake

Lord, thank you for yummies like this! LOVE this recipe. It tastes complex and interesting and is easy to throw together. I found this on a website the other day and made a few little adjustments. We had it last night and it's starring again at lunch today.

Sausage Pasta Bake with Spinach & Tomatoes

1 16 oz. package of turkey smoked sausage

1 medium onion, chopped

1 ½ (heaping) teaspoons minced garlic

1 14 ounce can of Italian style diced tomatoes

1/8 cup pesto sauce

½ of a 16 ounce box of Dreamfields penne pasta, cooked

4 cups baby spinach leaves (chopped or torn if large)

1 cup shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

 

Directions:

Start pasta cooking.

 

Preheat oven to 375.

 

Put the spinach, all the mozzarella cheese, and 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese in a large bowl.

 

Heat a saute pan on medium and cook onions and garlic for a bit then add the sausage and cook it all til the onions are done. Remember to generously salt and pepper and add garlic powder.

 

Add the can of tomatoes (with the juice) to the pan. Stir and cook on medium-high about 10 minutes til most of the juice has evaporated. Stir in the pesto and season the mixture with more salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Remove from heat.

 

Stir the hot tomato mixture into the bowl with the spinach, cheeses, and cooked pasta and mix well.

(***WARNING - You'll want to eat this RIGHT NOW it will smell so good - but baking will add that final layer of flavor and doneness.)

 

Transfer the mixture to a greased 8 by 8 inch dish and cover with foil.

Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes.

 

Uncover and sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan cheese plus salt and pepper and bake for another 5 minutes or so til cheese is bubbly/browned.

 

Recipe Notes:

• This recipe easily doubles.
• Try Oscar Mayer or Eckrich sausage. Butterball brand turkey sausage has a gross texture.
• You could add a few mushrooms or other veggies when cooking the tomato/sausage mixture.
• I used simple Classico brand pesto sauce from near the jarred spaghetti sauces. 

Comments

[Tami B.]

Mmmm, thank you for the yummy-sounding recipe! We are totally making it this week. Happy New Year!