Sausage and Pepper Pasta Bake

We are all about the sausage and pepper sandwiches around here, so it wasn’t too much of a stretch to take the best of that meal and turn it into a baked-pasta dish. This is a great way to use up those weird-shaped bits of peppers you get when you slice bell peppers into strips for raw vegetable platters or for stir-fries. While I measured all of this to get a carb count for the recipe, you can easily stretch this meal by adding more pasta and vegetables.

Makes 6 servings

8 oz pasta (we used rotini), cooked al dente
1/2 LB sweet Italian sausage, cooked (weigh after cooking)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped bell peppers
2 TBL minced garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
2 TBL olive oil
2 cups marinara sauce
6 oz. mozzarella cheese (3/4 cup; reserve 1/4 cup of this for topping)

Sauté onion and peppers in olive oil until they begin to soften. Stir in garlic and seasonings and cook a few minutes more.

Combine cooked pasta, cooked sausage, seasoned vegetables, marinara sauce and 1/2 cup of cheese in a 9×13 baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes at 350. Uncover, sprinkle remaining cheese over the top and return to the oven for 10 minutes more.

This dish can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated, covered with foil, until ready to bake. Bring to temp 1/2 hour before baking and add 10-15 minutes to total baking time.

Recipe and photos copyright 2015 Barb Szyszkiewicz for Cook and Count. All rights reserved.