Pasta Sausage Bake

I've been asked for this recipe many times in the past...so this time while making it I had my camera with me in the kitchen. Now I don't measure in this recipe, so if you need more then just add what you'd like.

I like to use hot Italian sausage, if it is thawed I will remove the casing and break it apart...I didn't take it out of the freezer so I sliced it while it was still frozen.

Brown the sausage then drain the excess fat.

I like to use whole wheat pasta, for us I put half the box in a casserole dish...I don't cook it first. I've found that if I boil the pasta first I find that it will get a bit mushy.

I put my favourite pasta sauce in...I also had a bit of water to the dish as well (just put about a 1/2 a cup of water and swirl it around the jar to get out the rest of the sauce). This will make up for the amount of sauce that the pasta will absorb while cooking.

I added fresh mushrooms today, sometimes I will add red peppers...or canned mushrooms...whatever I have on hand. No I didn't wash the cutting board between cutting the sausage...but since it all cooks together it is okay.

Mix everything together

Grate some mozzarella cheese...

Put the cheese on top if it all...cover the dish and bake at 375 F for 45 minutes, uncover for 10 minutes

and there you have it...

Add salad and there is dinner!!

Hope you enjoy this, this has always been a great meal for me because you can make it the day before and leave it in the fridge until the next day.