This recipe is inspired by a festival bake my aunt makes, but I took several time-saving short cuts to make it easy on myself. Everyone I have ever served this to has asked for the recipe. It’s definitely one of our favorite go-to dinners because the left-overs heat well and it will serve an army. Plus, it is much faster & easier to prepare than a lasagna and it’s cheaper than a lasagna too. Plus, it only has 4 ingredients, bonus. (Note: It can be a little spicy. You could substitute half a pound of mild sausage to tone down the heat)
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Bake time: 1 hour
You need:
1 lb spicy Italian sausage
1 large jar of pasta sauce, store bought or homemade (I use Prego)
1 box of pasta (I usually use ziti, but any kind of short noodle will work)
1 package of shredded mozzarella cheese
*Sometimes I also add half of a package of frozen spinach that has been cooked and drained very well.
Step 1: Brown the sausage in a skillet, breaking it into small pieces just like you would brown ground beef.
Step 2: While the sausage is browning also cook & drain the noodles. Cook them 2 or 3 minutes less than the package directions, since they will continue cooking in the oven.
Step 3: Mix cooked noodles, browned sausage & pasta sauce in a large, deep baking dish and top with shredded cheese
Step 4: Cover with aluminum foil and bake 45 minutes at 350.
Step 5: After 45 minutes remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
Serve with a salad & garlic bread.
Enjoy!
I’m linking this up to the SAMM Monday recipe exchange.
This sounds like it would be yummy and fairly quick to make.