italian bake casserole
My family loves this dish each time I make it. This is a dish that is requested all the time. They look forward to taking home the leftovers, which always taste better the next day. I changed the recipe to my liking and usually use the pasta that I have available. I don't add the olives and sometimes use spaghetti sauce instead of the stewed tomatoes. I tend to change recipes according to the likes and dislikes of my family. I usually don't measure my seasonings and adjust the seasonings accordingly. I taste the sauce as it simmers all day. This is a casserole that always changes.
Blue Ribbon Recipe
Throw this simple Italian baked casserole together when you need a weeknight meal. Onions and peppers are cooked in the sausage drippings and are a flavor base. Tomatoes add another layer of flavor and texture. The aroma of the sausage and the onions, garlic, and peppers baking is heavenly. It's a good recipe the entire family will love. If you like your pasta coated with sauce, we recommend using tomato sauce in place of the stewed tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage links, sliced
- 3 cups fresh sliced mushrooms, optional
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium bell pepper chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 can black olives, halved (2 oz; optional)
- 2 cans Italian stewed tomatoes (15 oz. each)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- - salt and pepper, to taste
- 8 ounces rotini pasta, cooked al dente
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
How To Make italian bake casserole
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Step 1In a large skillet, cook Italian sausage until slices are no longer pink; about 10 minutes. Remove sausage from the skillet and reserve about 2 Tbsp of the drippings. -
Step 2In a skillet, saute mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, and garlic until tender-crisp.
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Step 3In a large bowl, combine sausage, tomatoes, seasonings, and optional olives.
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Step 4Mix in the cooked onion, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic.
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Step 5In the bottom of a 9x13 dish, spread half of the al dente pasta.
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Step 6Add half of the tomato sausage mixture.
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Step 7Sprinkle half of the cheese over the sausage mixture.
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Step 8Top the cheese with the other half of the pasta and then the sausage mixture.
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Step 9Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
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Step 10Uncover and top with the remaining cheese. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
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Step 11Variation: I sometimes use spaghetti sauce instead of the Italian stewed tomatoes and season to my taste. I cook the sausage, onions, peppers and add to the spaghetti sauce. The sauce is cooked for 4 to 5 hours in the Crock Pot and then layered in a casserole or 9x13 baking dish. I tend to use 2 cups of cheese because we are cheese lovers. To change the taste I will vary the cheese with the shredded Italian blend cheese and mozzarella cheese. I cook this until the casserole is heated and the cheese is bubbling and melted.
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