Sausage and pasta make a delicious authentic Italian dish. You can mix your choice of ingredients to make a meal that is customized to your liking. The recipe we have here is a terrific blend of pasta, tomato sauce, sausage, sweet peppers, and cheese all baked together in a casserole.
One of the great things about this recipe is that you can choose the type of pasta you use. Many recipes are dependent on a certain type of pasta for one reason or another, but not this one! That means you can use whatever is cheapest at the store, what you have in your pantry, or what your family's favorite is.
We recommend using smoked sausage in this recipe. Smoked sausage has a distinct flavor to it that adds so much complexity to a dish. Beyond it being smoked, you can pick whatever type of sausage you want. Sausages come in a variety of flavors, ranging from sweet to hot. You can also smoke your own sausage for this recipe, if you want.
Read on to find out how you can enjoy this meal in your home. For more great recipes just like this one, take a look at all of the other great recipes that we have available on our site. We have hundreds of quick and easy dinner recipes that your family will love.
Smoked Sausage Pasta Bake
The recipe we have here will work with the pasta of your choice. 12 ounces of cavatelli, rigatoni, or rotini are recommended.
Start by cooking the pasta according to package directions and drain well. Return pasta to pan. Then stir in 1 (26-28 oz.) jar of spicy tomato sauce, 6 oz of cooked smoked sausage halved lengthwise and sliced, and ¾ cup bottled and roasted red sweet peppers drained and coarsely chopped.
Spoon the mixture into a greased casserole dish and sprinkle with 1 cup shredded or provolone cheese. Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. This is a great dish because you can play around with the ingredients to customize them to make the taste to your liking. You can use different kinds of cheeses and pasta as recommended in the recipe.
To make the dish even more unique, you can experiment with different kinds of sauces and veggies. You can even use different types of sausage to give the recipe your own spin. Another nice thing about this meal is that it does not require any additional sides. With all food groups represented, there is not much else you need to do to make a complete dish.
The flavorings also meld together perfectly to make a meal with ingredients that complement each other with a bit of all the flavors in every bite.
Smoked Sausage and Pasta
There are a few ways to prepare sausage, but smoking is a great way to give it a rich, smoky taste. There are also some types of sausages that are pre-smoked at the factory but taste great with a fresh coat of smoke. Polies, kielbasa, and hot dogs will all taste better with this type of preparation.
To smoke sausage, preheat your smoker or grill to 225 degrees. Put the sausages on the indirect side of the grill and add wood to the direct heat side after the meat goes on. The meat should be cold as cold surfaces attract smoke. There will be no need to turn the meat.
Cook until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. This should not take more than an hour. Not only do smoked sausages have a great, rich taste; they are also pasteurized so they will keep longer in the refrigerator or freezer.
Any type of sausage can be smoked, but for this meal, Italian sausage is recommended. This is a pork sausage that is usually seasoned with fennel. In some instances, hot red pepper flakes will be added to the sausage to give it a kick. If this is the case, the sausages will be considered hot. If sweet basil is added, sausages will be considered sweet.
We recommend Italian sausage for this meal because it will complement the other ingredients, like pasta, tomato sauce, cheese, and red pepper, perfectly to give it an authentic Italian taste.
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Smoked Sausage Pasta Bake Recipe
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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- Total Time: 30 minutes
Description
The recipe we have here is a terrific blend of pasta, tomato sauce, sausage, sweet peppers and cheese all baked together in a casserole.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cavatelli, rigatoni or rotini pasta
- 1– 26 to 28 ounce jar purchased spicy tomato pasta sauce
- 6 ounces cooked smoked sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced
- ¾ cup bottled roasted red sweet peppers; drained and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup shredded provolone or mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well.
- Return pasta to pan.
- Stir sauce, sausage, and roasted peppers into pasta, tossing gently to coat.
- Spoon pasta mixture into four greased 14 to 16-ounce casseroles.
- Sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake in a 375°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and pasta mixture is heated through.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Pxhere / CC0 Public Domain.