Baked Pasta with Sausage, Pesto and Spinach (or Kale)
- Total Time: 45 Minutes
Description
Another great freezer recipe, also adapted from Dinner with Julie – it’s kind of like an upgrade of ‘Saturday Night Special‘, from the Best of Bridge. In my notes, I have that it makes 1 large 9 x 13 lasagna pan plus a second small casserole (usually to freeze). I use Spolumbo sausage and I often cook the sausage with the onion and garlic and then put it all through the food processor – this makes for a more even disbursement of goodness. Also, as a 2021 update – I prefer using a big bag (500 g) of frozen kale instead of fresh spinach…more green, less work and I love feeling no guilt about not making a salad on a weeknight – enjoy!
Ingredients
2 to 3 chicken and apple sausages AND 2 to 3 Italian sausages, casings removed (but all chicken apple is lovely too!)
2 onions, chopped AND 4 cloves of garlic, minced
1, 28 oz. (540 mL) can of diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (156 mL) tomato paste
2 c. passata (strained tomatoes) – if you like your pasta dishes saucy, just use the whole (680 mL) bottle
1/4 c. pesto from a jar – again, why not the whole jar? ours is always a nut-free variety
1 t. salt AND freshly ground pepper to taste
1 box (454 g) your favorite pasta, cooked in salted water until al dente and drained well
1, 283 g bag of spinach, chopped – OR – 300 to 500 g frozen spinach or kale, thawed
2, 12 oz (341 mL) cans of kernel corn
1 1/2 c. grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, or as much as you’d like for the topping
Instructions
In a large, deep, non-stick skillet, cook the sausage, onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil, making sure that the sausage is broken up into small pieces. Add the can of tomatoes, the tomato paste and passata and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir in the pesto, salt and pepper.
Add the drained pasta, the spinach (or kale), mix well, then stir in the mozzarella (save some for the topping if you’d like). Divide into the greased casseroles that you’re using and sprinkle with the Parmesan ( I don’t sprinkle on the Parmesan if it’s going in the freezer). Bake at 350 for about half an hour until it’s bubbling. If you freeze it, thaw completely, add about 1 cup or almost 1 can of V-8 juice or tomato juice (for a 2.5 litre casserole), sprinkle with Parmesan and again, cook until bubbling – it may take longer than a half hour.
I love finding dishes like this in my freezer.
- Category: Freezes Well, Pasta, Make-ahead, Spinach, Sausage
