Sausage Pasta Bake
This sausage Pasta Bake has become one of my go-to dishes. It’s incredibly easy because there's no need to pre-boil the pasta or cook the sausage.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 736kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- Butter or cooking spray for the baking dish.
- One 24-26-ounce jar marinara sauce
- 3 cups chicken broth or stock
- ½ onion grated
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon dried Italian seasoning or dried basil.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 pound uncooked rigatoni or other similar shaped pasta
- 1 pound Italian sausage or turkey sausage or hamburger
- 8-16 ounces fresh mozzarella shredded from a block of cheese
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus more for serving
- Crushed red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with the butter, or non-stick cooking spray.
- Stir together the marinara, chicken broth, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
- Spread half of the uncooked pasta in an even layer in the bottom of the prepared dish. Scatter half of the sausage over the top by breaking into pieces and dropping it onto the pasta. Pour half of the marinara mixture over the top. Add ⅓ the mozzarella and ½ the parmesan. Repeat with the remaining uncooked pasta, sausage, marinara mixture, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Try to press the pasta into the liquid as much as possible.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the pasta is al dente, about 40-50 minutes. (don't peek)
- The pasta bake is done when the pasta is tender, the sauce is bubbling, and the sausage is fully cooked to 160°F.
- Remove from the oven. Serve with more Parmesan, a green salad, and crusty bread if desired.
Video
Notes
- If the pasta isn’t done after 50 minutes, cover it again and bake for another 10 minutes. If it looks dry, add 2–4 tablespoons of water before returning it to the oven. Cover the dish tightly with foil. The steam is what cooks the pasta. Don’t peek while it bakes. Opening the oven lowers the temperature and can make the pasta take longer to cook. The pasta bake is done when the pasta is tender, the sauce is bubbling, and the sausage is fully cooked to 160°F. If all the cheese hasn’t melted after the pasta has finished cooking, remove the foil and broil just until melted. Watch closely because it melts fast. To halve the recipe, cut the ingredients in half and bake in an 8x8 dish. I like using 8 to 16 ounces of whole milk mozzarella, depending on how cheesy you like it. Grate it yourself for the best melt. See the blog post for substitutions and variations.
Nutrition
Calories: 736kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 1886mg | Potassium: 466mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 394IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 444mg | Iron: 3mg
