• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Tiny Kitchen Capers

Little kitchen, big flavor

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About Me

Cheesy Baked Penne with Italian Sausage

12/06/2016 By Lisa Leave a Comment

Penne baked in sauce with chunks of Italian sausage and layers of gooey cheese. A simple, but flavorful, dish that the whole family is going to love.

Penne baked in sauce with chunks of Italian sausage and layers of gooey cheese | tinykitchencapers.com

Cheesy Baked Penne with Italian Sausage

This dish has everything I love in a recipe; it’s cheesy, simple, filling, cheap, cheesy. Yes, I said cheesy twice. Cheese deserves it.

By the way, I like to use organic pasta sauce and tomatoes (“Homemade” pasta Sauce From a Jar) but feel free use whatever you like best. You can even use homemade, 3-4 cups should do the trick.

Cast of characters.

Cheesy Baked Penne with Italian Sausage

My very favorite Italian sausage is actually a turkey sausage by Honeysuckle White (not a sponser). I prefer it because it’s healthier and it has incredible flavor, because who cares if it’s healthy if it doesn’t taste great, right?

To start, get yer pasta ta cookin in a big pot via the instructions on the box. Incidentally, any type of “chunky” pasta (ziti, rigatoni, mostaccioli, etc.) works great, too. Go ahead and use what you have on hand. Drain it well and return it to the pot.

While the pasta is cooking, slice each sausage in 6-8 pieces. Tip: freezing it for 20-30 minutes makes it much easier to cut. Leave the casing on. When it cooks it turns into a little meatball. Brown it in a some olive oil until it’s cooked through and no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Throw in the cooked sausage and everything else (but the cheese).

Cheesy Baked Penne with Italian Sausage

Finally, in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, layer half of the penne mixture, half of the cheese, then the rest of the penne, and the rest of the cheese. By the way, the amount of cheese is just a guideline. Less is not more when it comes to cheese, IMHO.

Cheesy Baked Penne with Italian Sausage

Bake uncovered until you achieve your idea of melted, cheesy, golden-brown perfection.

Cheesy Baked Penne with Italian Sausage

Let it stand about 5 minutes then dig in. Serve with a nice romaine salad and garlic bread.

Penne baked in sauce with Italian sausage and gooey cheese | tinykitchencapers.com

Print Recipe
Cheesy Baked Penne with Italian Sausage BigOven - Save recipe or add to grocery list Yum
Penne baked in sauce with chunks of Italian sausage and layers of gooey cheese.
Penne baked in sauce with chunks of Italian sausage and layers of gooey cheese | tinykitchencapers.com
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
8
Ingredients
  • 1 (16 ounce) box penne
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 (20 ounce) package Italian turkey sausage, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 jar (25.5 ounce) organic pasta sauce
  • 1 can (14.5 ounce) organic diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
8
Ingredients
  • 1 (16 ounce) box penne
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 (20 ounce) package Italian turkey sausage, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 jar (25.5 ounce) organic pasta sauce
  • 1 can (14.5 ounce) organic diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
Penne baked in sauce with chunks of Italian sausage and layers of gooey cheese | tinykitchencapers.com
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. In a large pot, cook penne according to package directions. Drain, return to pot.
  3. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced sausage; cook, stirring frequently, until cooked through and no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
  4. Add cooked sausage and the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the cheese to the drained pasta.
  5. Spread half of the pasta mixture in the baking dish; top with half of the cheese. Repeat layers with the rest of the pasta and the rest of the cheese.
  6. Bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.
  7. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes

Substitute any kind of "chunky" pasta, such as ziti, rigatoni, etc. for the penne.

Store leftovers tighly covered in the refrigerator 3-4 days or freeze.

Share this:

Related

Filed Under: Dinner, Pasta and Sauces

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Join me on social media

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

Hi, I’m Lisa

I create easy, delicious recipes in a 4x9 foot kitchen without a fancy stove or granite countertops. I live in a small town with my husband, daughter, and furry kid, Doyle. I'm happiest when my son and his wife visit and we all sit around the table eating and laughing. I'm also a former Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist and a cancer survivor. Read More…

Find Something Yummy

Trending Recipes

Maple-Sausage Pancake Bites
Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Brown Rice
Slow Cooker Black Bean and Corn Salsa Chicken

Subscribe to get delicious new recipes in your mailbox once a week

Privacy Policy

Follow Me On Pinterest

Lisa McDaniel

What I’m Loving


Put your slow cooker to work!

There's nothing like a big beautiful batch of from-scratch 3 meat pasta sauce to top all of your favorite pasta dishes or freeze for recipes. | tinykitchencapers.com

Slow Cooker 3-Meat Pasta Sauce

Tender pot roast slow cooked in a beefy onion mushroom sauce with potatoes, carrots, celery, and mushrooms and seasoned with thyme.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

These delectable pork chops are smothered in an easy mushroom gravy and cooked to fall-off-the-bone perfection in your slow cooker! #pork #porkchops #smotheredporkchops #crockpot #slowcooker | tinykitchencapers.com

Slow Cooker Smothered Pork Chops

Chicken Cacciatore with juicy chicken thighs cooked in a flavorful sauce. Don’t worry about dirtying another pot, the spaghetti cooks right in the slow cooker with the chicken! #chicken #pasta #spaghetti #slowcooker #crockpot | tinykitchencapers.com

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore and Spaghetti

More Slow Cooker Recipes

Check out Hubby’s On-Line Record & Audio Store!

Rich's Record & Audio Emporium

Footer

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter

Search tiny kitchen capers

Copyright © 2019 · Privacy Policy · WordPress

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More