Baked Sausage Ricotta Pasta

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb loose mild and/or hot Italian sausage (or fresh sausage, removed from casing)

3 cloves garlic (chopped)

1/2 small onion (diced)

28 oz canned whole tomatoes (San Marzano recommended, hand crushed)

6 leaves fresh basil (chopped or 1 tsp. dried basil)

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

2 1/2 - 3 cups dried rigatoni pasta

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)

3 Tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)

Salt and pepper

1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded, for topping)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 F. (regular bake setting/not fan assisted)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add rigatoni and cook until al dente. Drain well.

On the stove-top, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add loose sausage and cook, stirring regularly, until cooked through and browned in spots. Remove to a plate and set aside.

To the same skillet, over medium heat, add the onion and cook, stirring until softened. Add garlic and cook an additional 30-45 seconds. Add the hand-crushed tomatoes, chopped basil leaves, red pepper flakes and a healthy sprinkling of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Add sausage back to the skillet and cook a few minutes, to blend the flavours and warm the sausage again. Taste the sauce and add additional salt and pepper, as needed. If the flavours seem flat, it needs more salt! Turn off the heat and let stand until pasta is ready.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the ricotta mixture by combining all the ricotta mixture ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

When pasta is cooked, add it to the skillet with the tomato sauce and sausage. Stir to combine. Spoon dollops of the ricotta mixture randomly on top. Sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.

Nutrition

• Calories: 445 kcal
• Total Fat: 35 g
• Saturated Fat: 15 g
• Cholesterol: 100 mg
• Sodium: 954 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 8 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Total Sugars: 3 g
• Protein: 22 g