Sunday, November 29, 2009

Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cheese


In an effort to eat better, I've been checking out the Cooking Light recipes at myrecipes.com.  I became a fan of that site because it has recipes from some of my favorite magazines such as Cooking Light, Southern Living, and Real Simple.  For dinner last night, I decided to fix us something that originally appeared in the November 2003 Cooking Light magazine.  Rick wasn't too enthusiastic when I revealed that we were going to be eating turkey sausage, but he was pleasantly surprised when he had his first bite.  I probably could've gotten away with not admitting that it wasn't "real" sausage.  This recipe is extremely easy, and I did alter it a little bit.  Based on some of the reviews on the website, I decided to up the amount of basil used and added an extra can of diced tomatoes.  I also added a little bit of Italian seasoning.  For the tomatoes, I didn't use petite cut, but I did   Here is the original recipe.  Enjoy!!

Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cheese
Ingredients
  • 3/4 of  a pound package of uncooked ziti
  • 1 pound turkey Italian sausage links
  • 1 chopped sweet onion
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1  tablespoon  tomato paste
  • 1/4  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
  • 3  (14.5-ounce) cans petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1/2 cup  chopped fresh basil
  • 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
  • 1  cup  (4 ounces) 6 cheese blend
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.

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 dish. Top with half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Repeat layers. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

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