Cheesy Tomato And Sausage Bake With Ziti Pasta

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 (1 lb) package uncooked ziti pasta
• 2 -3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 lbs turkey sausage (casings removed)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried chili pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 1 -2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (or to taste)
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Recipe

• 1 set oven to 350 degrees.
• 2 grease a 4-quart casserole dish.
• 3 cook the ziti pasta in salted boiling water until just al dente (do not overcook the pasta as it will cook more in the oven) drain, place in a large bowl and set aside.
• 4 remove the casings from the sausage.
• 5 heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• 6 add in the sausage, onion, garlic, chili flakes and jalapeno (if using) saute until meat is browned, stirring to crumble the meat with a spoon.
• 7 add in tomato paste and diced tomatoes with the juice; bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• 8 season with salt and pepper to taste.
• 9 in a large bowl combine the cooked pasta with the sausage/tomato mixture and chopped basil.
• 10 place half of the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
• 11 top with half of the mozzarella cheese, then half of the parmesan cheese.
• 12 repeat layers ending up with the parmesan on top.
• 13 bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly.
• 14 delicious!