Italian Sausage Pasta Bake
A simple Italian sausage pasta bake with rigatoni, jar sauce, ricotta, and mozzarella. An easy make-ahead dinner that freezes well, too.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces rigatoni (or penne)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, small diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, small diced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage (bulk or casings removed)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce (or 3 cups homemade)
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat and Prep: Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease or spray a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Boil the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until just shy of al dente (it will finish in the oven, so you don’t want it cooked all the way through at this point), about 2-3 minutes less than package directions. Drain (do not rinse) and set aside.
- Make the Sauce: While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil, onion, bell pepper and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring frequently until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the sausage and cook for 5-6 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles, until well browned and no pink remains.
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and black pepper, and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the marinara sauce and simmer for 2-4 minutes until the sauce is heated through. Remove from the heat.
- Make the Ricotta Mixture: While the sauce is cooking, in a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, ½ cup of the Parmesan, and ¼ teaspoon of salt until smooth.
- Assemble: In the same pot the pasta cooked in (or a large bowl), toss the cooked pasta with about 1 cup of the marinara sauce until evenly coated.
- Spoon half the pasta into the prepared baking dish, dollop and gently spread half the ricotta mixture over the top, then add 1 cup of the marinara sauce, and then ½ cup of the mozzarella.
- Repeat the layers with the remaining pasta, ricotta, and sauce. Finish with ½ cup mozzarella and the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan.
- Bake: Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more, until the cheese is golden and bubbling at the edges. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 (of 8) | Calories: 572kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 871mg | Potassium: 641mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1279IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 306mg | Iron: 3mg
