Fast & Easy Dinner: Baked Pasta With Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cheese

September 17, 2008

When it comes to baked pastas, most people think of lasagna or macaroni and cheese. However, ziti, a thick, tubular pasta, is ideal for baking, especially when coated with a dense, rich sauce.

This comforting version is made with turkey sausage and canned tomatoes. It's a no-fuss, simple dish that's sure to win over even the most finicky eaters. To make this for your family tonight, get the delicious MyRecipes.com recipe and read more.

From Cooking Light

Baked Pasta With Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cheese

Ingredients

1 (1-pound) package uncooked ziti (short tube-shaped pasta)
1 pound hot turkey Italian sausage links
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (14.5-ounce) cans petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Get more recipes at MyRecipes.com

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain the pasta, and set aside.
Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage, onion, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Combine cooked pasta, sausage mixture, and basil.
Place half of the pasta mixture in a 4-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Repeat layers.
Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Serve.

Serves 8.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 413 (26% from fat), Fat: 11.8g (sat 6.1g,mono 2.2g,poly 1g), Protein: 24.1g, Carbohydrate: 53g, Fiber: 4.5g, Cholesterol: 49mg, Iron: 7.9mg, Sodium: 941mg, Calcium: 265mg

Like the recipe above? Try out some of these other ones:

— Quick and Easy Meal Ideas
— 10 Chicken Dinners for the Busy Cook
— Dinner Tonight Recipes in 45-Minutes or Less
— Eat Smart at CookingLight.com

12 Comments

3 years 28 weeks

Just so you know: Ziti are not short.

skigurl 4 years 33 weeks

weirdest coincidence is that i already kinda googled this type of meal yesterday and invented my own spin on it and told my bf i was going to make it this week! we're making it thursday! but i prefer penne...i was reminded by something he ordered saturday ngiht, which was delicious

Isa A 4 years 34 weeks

Miam miam !!

Isa A 4 years 34 weeks

Miam miam !!

chiefdishwasher 4 years 34 weeks

Sounds like a good meal for my girls when they visit.

ilanac13 4 years 34 weeks

i'm a sucker for ziti or rigatoni since it's a more robust pasta, but i could do w/o the sausage. i think that i've found a white wine sauce to be a nice complement as well - since it's got a bit of that vinegar taste which makes it a savory dish and then if you dice tomatoes - it's light and fresh.

shoneyjoe 4 years 34 weeks

Sounds remarkably close to what I cooked for dinner last night. I added a lot of vegetables too - zucchini, onions, and mushrooms.

danesorensen 4 years 34 weeks

The photo makes it look so good. I hope my attempt turns out looking like this. Either way, how can I go wrong with the delicious taste of these ingredients...