Baked Penne with Italian Sausage has everything you want in baked pasta, and then some. Creamy ricotta and mozzarella are tossed with penne and layered with an easy sausage tomato sauce, then baked until the mozzarella is melted and penne is lightly crisp on the top. Perfect for those cooler nights when you just want to cozy up with a hearty baked pasta and a glass of red.
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
For the sauce:
¼ cup olive oil
1 medium onion diced
1.5 pounds bulk Italian fennel sausage or remove from sausage casings
4 cloves garlic sliced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
2 28 ounce can plum tomatoes hand crushed or blender pulsed
½ cup dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste
Remaining ingredients:
1 pound penne pasta or ziti, rigatoni, etc
1 pound mozzarella shredded, divided
1 pound ricotta
½ cup Pecorino Romano grated
INSTRUCTIONS
For the sauce:
In a large pan or pot saute the onion in olive oil for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the sausage to the pan and spread it out while breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage until browned then add the garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes or until fragrant. Add the hot red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds more.
Add the wine to the pan and turn the heat to high. Once the wine mostly evaporates turn the heat back down to medium and add the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Taste test the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer on low and move to the next step.
Assembling the baked sausage penne:
Preheat oven to 375f and set the rack to the middle level.
While the sauce is simmering bring a large pot of salted water to boil (2 tablespoons kosher salt per gallon of water). Cook pasta until 2 minutes less than al dente.
Prepare a 9 by 13 baking dish by placing a ¼ inch thick layer of sauce on the bottom.
Place 4 cups of sauce into a large bowl and add the pasta. Also, add the ricotta, Pecorino Romano, and ¾’s of the shredded mozzarella. Mix well.
Pour the pasta into the baking dish. Top with a thin layer of sauce and the remaining mozzarella. Bake for 25 minutes or until browned on top. For extra color broil for 1-2 more minutes but watch carefully! Wait at least 10 minutes before eating so that the pasta settles.
Notes
– Makes 8 moderate-sized or 4-6 large portions.
– Undercook the pasta! Fully boiled pasta will become mushy after baking for another 30 minutes, so shoot for a bit firmer than al dente or about 2 minutes less than the box instructions.
– Put a hefty layer of the sausage sauce on the bottom of the baking dish to avoid sticking.
– Bake the pasta until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned on top. For extra color, broil for 1-2 minutes, but watch very carefully to avoid burning.
