Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes, & Cheese
The only way to truly know what you’re eating is to prepare your food yourself. Some restaurants and food establishments post the nutritional information for the dishes they serve, but that can really only be used as a set of guidelines for what you’re eating because of variations in the cooking process that can’t be avoided. With that said, I’m making a concerted effort to eat at home as much as possible in an effort to document every morsel that goes into my mouth.
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You start with a pound of pasta prepared, drained, and set aside.
Gooey goodness on a paper plate.
I thought this was an okay casserole. The turkey sausage was actually good despite the fact that it had an abundance of fennel flavor, which I normally don’t like. In fact, I could smell the fennel while it was baking and I thought, “Oh boy, this is gonna be a waste of a casserole.” To my surprise, it was tolerable. And I’ll be dipped if I’m going to throw out a whole casserole.
You could make a full-flavored version of this casserole by using more cheese and regular Italian sausage instead of the turkey sausage. Also, I think it would be tasty to use some pasta sauce in place of one of the cans of diced tomatoes (Silver Palate’s Tomato Alfredo is my favorite).
Adapted from Cooking Light, November 2003
- 13 ounces uncooked whole-wheat penne rigata
- 1.25 pounds hot turkey Italian sausage links
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350°.Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting fat. Drain and set aside.
Brown sausage, onion, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tomato paste, garlic salt, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
Combine cooked pasta, sausage mixture, and basil. Place half of the pasta mixture in a 9 x 13 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.
Yield: 8 servings
1 serving = 8P
