Healthy edition Spinach and Sausage Pasta Bake

This is a great meal to make to have people over, take to parents of a new baby, and eat for yourself! And it is all in one dish! Can’t get much better than that! Make it for your family, grab some salad and bread and there you go!

Spinach and Sausage Spinach Bake

• 1 ¹⁄₂lbs chicken sausage
• olive oil (optional)
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large sweet red pepper, coarsely chopped
• 20-28 ounces meatless extra chunky pasta sauce
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 tbs dried basil
• 2 tbs oregano
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 6 cups penne pasta (1 box)
• 1 cup of yogurt
• 8 oz package fresh spinach (trimmed and coarsely chopped)
• 2 cups shredded provolone cheese or 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated asiago cheese or 1 cup parmesan cheese

1. Cut sausage into 1/2 inch chunks. I large skillet, brown sausage over medium-high heat, in batches and adding oil if necessary. Transfer sausage to a bowl.
2.  Add to the oil mixture the onions, garlic and red pepper, cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in pasta sauce, tomato sauce, basil, oregano and fennel seeds; bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan. Return sausage and any accumulated juices to pan; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until sausage is firm throughout.
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta for 6 minutes, add spinach;cook for 1 minute. Drain well and return to pot. Add one cup of yogurt Add sausage mixture and provolone/mozzarella cheese; stir to combine well.
4. Transfer to 2 greased 8-inch square baking dishes or 1 13×9-inch dish. Sprinkle with Asiago/parmesan cheese. Cover dish with greased foil, greased side down. You can add tomatoes or basil to the top for extra flair
5. To serve: Bake, covered with foil, in in 375 degree F. oven for 30 minutes or for 1 hour if from the refrigerator. This freezes beautifully (thaw in refrigerator before baking).

Healthy edition Spinach and Sausage Pasta Bake

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

1 1 ⁄ 2 lbs chicken sausage olive oil (optional) 2 onions, coarsely chopped 5 garlic cloves , minced 1 large sweet red pepper, coarsely chopped 20-28 ounces meatless extra chunky pasta sauce 1 can tomato sauce 1 tbs dried basil 2 tbs oregano 1 teaspoon fennel seed 6 cups penne pasta (1 box) 1 cup of yogurt 8 oz package fresh spinach (trimmed and coarsely chopped) 2 cups shredded provolone cheese or 2 cups mozzarella cheese 1 cup grated asiago cheese or 1 cup parmesan cheese

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2lbs chicken sausage
• olive oil (optional)
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large sweet red pepper, coarsely chopped
• 20-28 ounces meatless extra chunky pasta sauce
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 tbs dried basil
• 2 tbs oregano
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 6 cups penne pasta (1 box)
• 1 cup of yogurt
• 8 oz package fresh spinach (trimmed and coarsely chopped)
• 2 cups shredded provolone cheese or 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated asiago cheese or 1 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Cut sausage into ½ inch chunks. I large skillet, brown sausage over medium-high heat, in batches and adding oil if necessary. Transfer sausage to a bowl.
2. Add to the oil mixture the onions, garlic and red pepper, cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in pasta sauce, tomato sauce, basil, oregano and fennel seeds; bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan. Return sausage and any accumulated juices to pan; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until sausage is firm throughout.
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta for 6 minutes, add spinach;cook for 1 minute. Drain well and return to pot. Add one cup of yogurt Add sausage mixture and provolone/mozzarella cheese; stir to combine well.
4. Transfer to 2 greased 8-inch square baking dishes or 1 13x9-inch dish. Sprinkle with Asiago/parmesan cheese. Cover dish with greased foil, greased side down. You can add tomatoes or basil to the top for extra flair
5. To serve: Bake, covered with foil, in in 375 degree F. oven for 30 minutes or for 1 hour if from the refrigerator. This freezes beautifully (thaw in refrigerator before baking).

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