Ingredients
- 3/4 pound hot Italian sausages, casings removed
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 28-ounce can diced peeled tomatoes
- 1/4 cup purchased pesto sauce
- 10 ounces ziti or penne pasta (about 3 cups), freshly cooked
- 8 c. fresh, washed spinach leaves (about 2/3 of 10-ounce pkg)
- 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
Instructions
- Heat heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage, onion and garlic and sauté until sausage is cooked through, breaking up meat with back of spoon, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices to pan. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in pesto. Season sauce with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly oil 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish. Combine pasta, spinach, mozzarella and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese in large bowl. Stir in hot tomato sauce. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese over. Bake until sauce bubbles and cheeses melt, about 30 minutes.
This dish is a favorite with everyone we’ve shared it with! It’s easy to make and has a fresh, different taste.
Although the recipe says to break this into two steps, I actually had it completely made the night before. A couple of hours before ‘delivery time’ the next day, I pulled out the baking dishes and warmed up the oven. I cooked all four dishes for about an hour at 375. I should have covered them with foil, though, because doubling the baking time caused the top noodles to dry out a little bit.