Ultimate Cheesy Pizza Pasta Bake with Sausage: The Perfect Weeknight Comfort Food
This Ultimate Pizza Pasta Bake combines savory Italian sausage, pepperoni, and olives in a rich, cream-cheese infused sauce. A cheesy, family-favorite weeknight dinner ready in 40 minutes.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients
1 pound any shape pasta (penne, farfalle, or elbows)
1 pound Italian sausage
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
4 ounces sliced pepperoni, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 ounces sliced black olives
2 ounces cream cheese
1 (24 ounce) jar RAGU Old World Style Traditional Sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
3. While pasta cooks, brown the Italian sausage in a skillet over medium heat until just lightly pink.
4. Add diced green bell pepper and sweet onion to the sausage. Continue cooking until meat is fully cooked and vegetables are soft.
5. Stir in pepperoni, olives, cream cheese, and the jar of sauce. Cook over low heat until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
6. Return the drained pasta to the pot and stir in the sausage mixture until evenly coated.
7. Spread half of the pasta mixture into the prepared dish and top with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
8. Spread the remaining pasta over the cheese layer. Top with the remaining mozzarella and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
9. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the dish is bubbly.
Notes
To prevent mushy pasta, cook the noodles to al dente as they will continue to soften in the oven.
For a cleaner slice, let the bake rest for 5 minutes after removing from the oven.
Add extra pepperoni slices on top of the cheese for a classic pizza look.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th of dish
- Calories: 758
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 1721mg
- Fat: 37g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 71g
- Fiber: 11g
- Protein: 36g
- Cholesterol: 84mg
Find it online: https://www.flavourrecipe.com/pizza-pasta-bake-with-sausage/