Baked Sausage Pasta

I remember being a kid and every single party would involve baked ziti.  And it was always pink.  And tasted like nothing

So, for many years, I avoided this pink, tasteless pasta dish

Then I said to myself… “Self?  Why not make a version of baked ziti that has taste and isn’t pink??”  Duh.  So here it is!

To step completely outside the ziti box, I’m using penne.  Mostly because I always have penne on hand and everyone in my family likes penne

Cook a pound of your favorite pasta (it’s ok to use ziti… really) slightly less than the al dente directions on the package.  Add in a cup of tomato sauce, stir and set aside

I’m using Simply Sunday’s Slow Cooker Tomato Sauce

Remove the casings from 2 pounds of Italian hot sausage.  You can use a mix of sweet and hot if you’d like.  We’re spicy people and love hot Italian sausage

Chop one medium onion and dice 4 garlic cloves

Heat a few swirls of olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add in a bay leaf and a 1/4 of a teaspoon of crushed red pepper.  Told you we were spicy people

Once the oil is hot, add in the onion and garlic.  Sauté for 5-7 minutes until the veggies start to soften

Add in the sausage and break up into smaller pieces.  Continue to cook for about 8-10 minutes until the sausage is browned

Add in 2 cups of tomato sauce to the sausage mixture & stir to combine

Now let’s work on the cheese mixture

Shred a one pound block of mozzarella and reserve one cup for the topping

Measure out 1/2 cup parmesan, one egg and a 16 ounce container of ricotta cheese

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl

Combine the pasta and cheese mixture

Now we’re ready for assembly.  Layer half of the pasta-cheese mixture in a casserole pan

Top with half of the meat mixture

Sprinkle with a layer of shredded parmesan

Repeat with another pasta/cheese layer and meat layer

Top with the reserved shredded mozzarella and bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes until browned and bubbly

Yeah, just like that.  Not pink, not tasteless.  Just a baked pasta casserole filled with love and flavor

Enjoy!

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