Italian Sausage Bake
This Italian Sausage Bake is an easy, meaty, cheesy, and hearty meal. I love dishes like this that bake up hot, bubbly and delicious. It’s super easy to make, too, with everything going into a 9×13-inch baking dish and baking in the oven!
Pasta bake recipes are some of my favorite dinners. This Italian Sausage Bake, for example, is super easy and quick to make, and you can have a hot and hearty meal in under an hour. It’s loaded with pasta, sausage, cheese, and veggies, so it’s a complete meal all in one 9×13-inch baking dish.
Italian Sausage Bake
Not only is this a perfect family dinner recipe, but it’s great for sharing, too. For casual entertaining, taking to potlucks, or serving friends and family, it’s something everyone is sure to love.
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All the ingredients in this recipe are easy to find and prepare. In fact, you can brown the sausage and cook and chill the pasta a day or two in advance, and then this recipe is even faster to pull together.
Why I love this recipe
- It’s hot, hearty, delicious and easy to make.
- You can keep the ingredients on hand to make this any night of the week. Keep the sausage and spinach frozen, and the rest of the ingredients are pantry staples.
- There are plenty of ways you can customize this pasta bake recipe. See all my tips below.
Gather these ingredients
- Italian sausage – You’ll need about ½ a pound. Use your favorite sausage, or see my tips below.
- Frozen spinach – Thawed and squeezed dry.
- Roasted red peppers – These are usually in a jar, but sometimes you can find them frozen. Drain them well before using.
- Canned crushed tomatoes – 1 14-ounce can.
- Dried oregano
- Cavatappi pasta – About ½ pound.
- Salt and pepper – To taste.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese – Pre-shredded is fine or shred your own.
- Parmesan cheese – Shredded or grated.
How to make Italian Sausage Bake
- Preheat your oven to 375-F degrees and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set this aside.
- Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up as you cook it.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions but for 1-2 minutes less than the recommended time. You want the pasta to be very al dente.
- Combine the cooked sausage, cooked and drained pasta, spinach, red peppers, the can of tomatoes, oregano and salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix well. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
- Transfer the pasta and sausage mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Mix the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl. Sprinkle this over the top of the pasta.
- Bake in a preheated 375-F oven for about 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbly and starting to brown.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Tips & substitutions
- You can use any kind of Italian sausage: sweet, mild, or spicy. You can also use pre-cooked sausage crumbles to cut down on the work.
- Switch up the pasta! I like cavatappi pasta in this recipe – it’s sometimes called Scooby Doo pasta – but large macaroni will also work.
- You can prep the sausage meat and even cook the pasta a day or two in advance. Then, just combine the rest of the ingredients and bake! You’ll need to add a few extra minutes of baking time if the pasta and sausage are cold from the fridge.
- Switch up the cheese! You can use pepperjack if you like a bit of spice, fontina, or any other easy-to-melt cheese.
Serving suggestions
You don’t need to serve a whole lot with this easy and colorful pasta recipe. I serve it with garlic bread or Cheesy Bread Bites and a crunchy salad.
Storage
Store any leftover Italian Sausage Bake in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months.
Check out these awesome pasta recipes while you’re here
- Pappardelle Pasta with Vodka Sauce
- Pasta with Chicken & Spinach
- 4-Ingredient Pasta Bake
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Get the Recipe:
Italian Sausage Bake
Ingredients
- ½ lb. Italian sausage
- 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- ⅓ cup roasted red peppers, drained
- 14 oz. crushed tomatoes
- ½ tbsp. dried oregano
- ½ lb. Cavatappi pasta, or a large macaroni pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large skillet over medium heat medium heat, cook the sausage until browned.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, and for a minute or two short of al dente.
- In a large bowl, mix together the cooked sausage, cooked and drained pasta, spinach, red peppers, can of tomatoes (do not drain), oregano, and salt, and pepper. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if needed.
- In a small bowl, mix the cheese together.
- Prepare a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Add the pasta mixture to the baking dish and top with the cheese mixture.
- Bake for 25 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden and the edges are bubbly and starting to brown. Serve and enjoy!
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
