This Sausage Pasta Bake with Peppers and Onions is the perfect meal for a simple weeknight or to double up and serve to company. Pair with a salad and some garlic bread for a delicious, filling, cozy dinner.
Growing up, my favorite thing to cook was Pasta with Sausage and Peppers. For starters, it was easy - my parents almost always had the ingredients on hand with sausages stashed in the freezer and a drawer full of veggies. It was simple enough to cook by myself and feed my family or friends. And I was always so proud of how it turned out.
And as simple as it is, I still am!
This Sausage Pasta Bake with Peppers and Onions is an homage to that dinner... but stepped up just a touch!
How to Make Sausage Pasta Bake with Peppers and Onions:
We start by cooking the pasta. Make sure to under cook it by a bit, because it will continue to soften in the oven.
Then brown the sausage with some garlic and saute the peppers and onions down just a bit. Don't soften all the way so that they retain some nice bite. Then add in the tomato sauce and let all the flavors mellow.
Then combine with the cooked pasta and a sprinkling of cheese and bake it up until it has a nice crispy lid!
Like all good cozy-making dinners, this Sausage Pasta Bake with Peppers and Onions doesn't need much to make it fill your house and heart with feelings of homey, deliciousness. A little Italian goodness, a little melty cheese, a lot of emotions.
Luke and I have been making this dish for years, but I finally got around to photographing it to share with you! I never could convince Luke that Baked Ziti was worthy of dinner, but pack it with spicy sausage, slightly softened peppers and onions and a good sprinkling of mozzarella to make a crispy cheese top and voila!
It's totally flexible if you have more or less of any of the ingredients - the best kind of recipe. The key here is really in making sure you under cook the pasta so that it will hold up when it
Sides are especially important if you're feeding a crowd because everyone's going to want to go back for seconds!
Pair it with:
Perfect Roasted Broccoli
Kale Caesar Salad
Garlic Bread
Simple Garden Salad
Sausage Pasta Bake with Peppers and Onions
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb rotini or other pasta of your choice
- 1/2 lb spicy Italian sausage casing removed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- 1 jar favorite tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to the direction on the package, under cooking it by about 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, crumble in the sausage and start to brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add in the sliced onion and let soften for about 3-4 minutes. Toss in the sliced peppers and cook for 2 minutes. Add in the tomato sauce and Italian seasoning and stir to combine. Let simmer for about 10 minutes to thicken.
- Turn off the heat and add in the cooked pasta and half of the shredded cheese. Stir well to combine, then transfer to a baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes until cheese on top is bubbling and just starting to brown.
- Remove from oven and serve hot.
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