We eat a lot of veggies in this house, but recently I picked up a few pounds of bulk hot Italian sausage and I was jonesing for a meaty baked pasta dish. We don’t eat a lot of meat, so 1 pound for this recipe is a lot for us. If you are a big meat eater, you can add up to an extra pound of sausage to make it extra meaty.
This recipe makes a lot, but, it keeps well for leftovers and you can freeze leftovers as well.
Meaty Baked Pasta
Ingredients:
- 1 box pasta (whatever variety you like best), cooked per package directions
- 1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
- 2 T. butter or oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium-sized zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 32 oz of your favorite red pasta sauce
- 1 small can of tomato paste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups mozzarella, divided
- 1 cup parmesan/romano blend cheese, divided
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Cook pasta per directions, drain off the water, reserving 2-3 Tablespoons.
- In a large pan, cook and crumble Italian sausage. After it is cooked, drain it on a paper towel.
- Using the same pan, saute onion and pepper for 10-15 minutes, until the onions are clear and have started to caramelize.
- Add in garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add in zucchini, sauce, and tomato paste- cook until sauce comes to a simmer.
- Add meat back in, and stir to combine.
- Add reserved pasta water to the sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- In a baking dish layer sauce, pasta, cheese, and sauce. Repeat until the baking dish is full and top with the remaining cheese.
- Cover the baking dish with a lid or tented foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the lid/foil and cook another 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve with a green salad and garlic bread!
This recipe made a 9×13 baking dish, which will serve 6-8 people a hearty portion.
If you need more veggies in your life, add carrots, drained diced petite tomatoes, more peppers, and even a few handfuls of spinach!
This meal was so satisfying. I’ve had leftovers for lunch twice now.
I ended up with extra sauce, and I plan on making calzones with it.
AO Opinions is another Market Research company that I get information from. Right now they are recruiting for an upcoming research study on the subject of Snacks!
This is our last full week of Summer Break. We have zoo, beach, swimming with friends, and a few other things to do before we start school.
I know some of your kids have already started school for the 2022-2023 school year, but my kiddos don’t start for another few weeks.
There will be several backpack giveaways throughout August. There is one tomorrow in Lemon Grove. 
I love shopping Kohl’s and 
This week was full of errands and getting ready for school stuff. It’s so hot (already 75 degrees at 7:30am).
Focus Group Connections
I posted about this on my socials too, but I really want to spread the word.
Hewes Family Fun 