Scoop yourself a plate of this scrumptious, cheesy baked penne with Italian sausage. It’s full of flavor, so comforting and super hearty!
Mangia, mangia! Pull a chair on up and scoop yourself a big spoonful of baked penne… it’s saucy and scrumptious, and it’s one of my and my husband’s favorite fill-you-up meals!
With cheesy ricotta and mozzarella, tomato sauce, fragrant seasonings and crisp Italian sausage, there’s nothing not to love. Except for the fact that you might – like me – have to wear a napkin bib to cover your best whites. What can I say, I’m a spiller.
Just combine a bunch of pantry staples and you’ve got a perfectly delicious, hot meal for dinner with a little Italian flair. Serve it with a loaf of garlic bread and a big leafy salad, pour yourself a glass of wine, and dig in!
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Baked Penne with Italian Sausage
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
16 oz. penne rigate pasta
12-16 oz. Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper
3 cups pasta sauce, divided
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Set a salted pot of water to boil. Add penne and cook according to directions on package. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, set a medium nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage, break up into small chunks with a wooden spoon, and cook until browned, 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat and drain grease, if necessary.
In a large bowl, combine cooked sausage with ricotta, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and 1 1/2 cups of the pasta sauce. Add cooked pasta to large bowl and toss gently to coat.
Coat bottom of a large baking dish with 1/2 cup pasta sauce. Add pasta mixture into dish and spread out evenly. Spoon remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake until golden brown and hot throughout, about 30 minutes.
Enjoy!
I definitely want to dive into that delicious-looking dish. All of my favourite flavours together!
OOh comfort food at its best!!!!
I love baked dishes like this-In fact I made a baked Italian chicken last night myself! :)
Perfect comfort food :)
I love baked pasta, and with sausage, this is just perfect!
This looks soooo good. I’ve been craving Italian food lately, and this looks like it would hit the spot!
I think you’re missing the amount of pasta sauce in this recipe, not that it’s particularly important. But it might be good to note for people who use recipes as a grocery list :)
The recipe notes 3 cups of pasta sauce.
Yes, yes, and yes again!!!
I am going to make this with turkey Italian sausage. :)
Hi there. Food on Friday this time is all about sausages! So it would be great if you linked this in. This is the link . Have a good week.
Oh! This looks like something I make that my kids call Lagooti…it’s the same except instead of ricotta I use cream cheese.
Found this recipe on Pinterest and tried it today. Loved it!
Made this tonight and it turned out very good. I used turkey sausage and the full small container of ricotta. Added a can of drained petite diced tomatoes to the jarred (Newman’s Marinara) sauce. I love easy recipes like this! Thanks for posting!
Was hoping this would leave leftovers, but they loved it so much, there is nothing left! Great recipe!
Can you make this the night before and then cook in over the next day?
Georgia — December 23rd, 2013 @ 10:06 pm
Yes, you can assemble one day ahead and cook the next day.
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