cheesy baked pasta

Cheesy baked pasta made with Italian chicken sausage, mozzarella, ricotta, Pecorino Romano and spinach (but don&#039;t worry, no one will care about the green stuff). Perfect to feed a hungry family!

Baked Pasta with Sausage and Spinach

olive oil spray

Pecorino Romano

oz fat-free ricotta

oz part-skim mozzarella (shredded)

oz uncooked sweet Italian chicken sausage

oz rigatoni pasta (wheat

olive oil

garlic (roughly chopped)

spinach

salt and fresh pepper

Quick Marinara Sauce (or jarred)

Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray a 9- x13-inch baking dish with olive oil spray.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, 6 tablespoons of the Pecorino Romano cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese.

Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet, brown the sausage breaking up into small bits until cooked through; set aside.

Add the oil to the skillet and sauté garlic about a minute, careful not to burn. Add spinach and season with a little salt and pepper and cook another minute.

Return the sausage to the skillet and add the marinara sauce; cook on low about 2-3 minutes.

When the pasta water comes to a boil, cook pasta according to instructions for al dente, but undercook them by 4 minutes less; drain and return to pot.

Put half of the cooked pasta into the prepared baking dish and top with half of the meat sauce. Spoon the ricotta mixture on top of the sauce in an even layer. Cover with the remaining pasta and the remaining sauce. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Pecorino Romano cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for an additional 6-7 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted and the edges are lightly browned.

You may not think of pasta when you think of Paris, but now I will. This creamy rigatoni with bacon and comté cheese is an easy pasta recipe that’s comforting and elegant at the same time.&nbsp;It's rich and delicious, yet made with simple ingredients. Everything you expect French food to be.&nbsp;

Creamy Baked Pasta with Bacon and Cheese (Pâtes aux Lardons et Comté)

lb dried rigatoni (no. 24 size preferred)

bacon

comté cheese, divided (or gruyère)

butter

tbsp flour

milk

tsp smoked paprika

kosher salt

Grate the cheese and set aside.&nbsp;

Cook bacon, crumble into pieces and set aside. I cooked this in the microwave. No sense laboring over a skillet for this recipe. If this method is good enough for Jaques Pepin, it's good enough for me!&nbsp;

Fill a large, deep stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, generously salt the water and add rigatoni. Cook to al dente according to package instructions. I recommend DeCecco no 24. Just use a nice big noodle of good quality.&nbsp;

In the microwave or in a sauce pan over low heat warm the milk slightly. You’re just taking the chill off, not bringing it to a simmer.

In a separate pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter.

Then mix the flour into the butter, and as soon as it starts to bubble, begin whisking constantly for about 2 minutes.

Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to avoid any lumps.&nbsp;Once all milk is incorporated, bring it to a low boil and continue to whisk occasionally as it thickens, about 4 – 5 minutes.

Once thickened, remove from heat and whisk in the salt and paprika.

Béchamel sauce recipe:

Once the pasta is al dente, drain quickly in a colander and immediately return to the same pot.&nbsp;

Add the béchamel sauce to the noodles and incorporate thoroughly. Make sure it's well mixed, with sauce coating the noodles inside and out.&nbsp;

Then add 1 3/4 cups of the cheese and incorporate.

Add 3/4 of the bacon and mix together.&nbsp;

Transfer the pasta to a cast-iron skillet or an oven-proof baking dish.&nbsp;Top with remaining bacon, then add the remaining comté cheese in an even layer on top.

Place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and starts to turn golden brown. Comté is a very sturdy cheese and it will stand up to a fair amount of heat before it starts to turn golden brown. But as always, when broiling, be sure to leave the oven door cracked and keep a close eye on it so you don’t burn it.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately.&nbsp;

Assemble the pasta dish:

Top 2 cheesy baked pasta recipes from across the web

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Baked Pasta with Sausage and Spinac...

Creamy Baked Pasta with Bacon and C...

Top 2 cheesy baked pasta recipes from across the web

The most viewed cheesy baked pasta recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Baked Pasta with Sausage and Spinac...

Creamy Baked Pasta with Bacon and C...

The most viewed cheesy baked pasta recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine