Italian Turkey Sausage & Vegetable Baked Pasta

Hey, y’all! We all love one-pan dinners and this is no exception. This baked pasta dish can be assembled in advance to be baked off later in the day or even the following day. Which means if you have one assembled in your fridge, when you come home from work all you have to do is pop it into the oven and by the time you’ve kissed bae hello, poured yourself an ice-cold glass of sauvignon blanc and dried off from a quick shower, you could have dinner ready. And a relatively healthful one at that. If you’re not a fan of arugula, spinach can be substituted or added. The same goes for the basil… and the cheese. I love that I can prepare half the recipe for my family and gift the other half to a friend in need. Or my little sister, who always needs it. This is a super adaptable dish so there’s no stressin’ here.

Italian Turkey Sausage & Vegetable Baked Pasta

Servings: 6-8
Difficulty: easy
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1 pound dried fusili shaped pasta or the pasta shape you prefer
1 pound Italian turkey sausage, I like hot
1 small onion (about 1/2 cup), finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large bell pepper, cut in 1 to 2-inch strips
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 15-ounce container part skim ricotta cheese
10 ounces baby arugula
2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed, dried and off the stem
1 pound Campari tomatoes, halved through the stem end
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
salt for the pasta water
salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350°. Lightly cover a 9X13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside
Cook pasta according to package directions in well-salted water.
While pasta cooks, cook sausage in a large skillet, breaking up the sausage with the back of your spoon.
Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper to the sausage and stir.
Add the crushed tomatoes and ricotta and stir until completely combined.
Drain pasta and return pasta to pot. Immediately add arugula and basil, mixing well so the heat of the pasta wilts the greens.
Transfer sausage mixture to pasta pot and mix to combine flavors.
Spoon 1/2 of the pasta mixture evenly into baking dish.
Spread half the tomatoes and half of the mozzarella over pasta.
Spoon remaining pasta mixture into pan in an even layer.
Top with remaining tomatoes and mozzarella.
Spray a large piece of tin foil with non-stick cooking spray and cover baking dish tightly, crimping the corners and edges.
Bake for 25 minutes then remove tin foil and bake for another 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly on top.
Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes before serving.
To reheat leftovers, warm in oven set at 325° until desired temperature for pasta is reached.